Max Baier: Between bakery and library

Max Friedrich Baier was born into an old family of bakers. It all began in 1835, when Johann Jacob Friedrich Baier founded the "Baier bread and pastry bakery" in a small corner house in Herrenberg. Each subsequent generation invested in the latest technology of its time and thus contributed to the continued existence of the family bakery. It was his grandfather, for example, who purchased a flour silo system to save the workers from having to carry sacks of flour. His father, on the other hand, spent ten years traveling around the world to learn the bakery and confectionery trade in the best bakeries. He took over the traditional bakery in 2003. Bakeries are now housed in six buildings in Herrenberg's old town, compared to two previously; 165 people now keep the business running, compared to just eight previously.

A bakery equipped with the latest technology has also been added on the highway near Gültstein. "For the best bread, you need the best bakers and for the best bakers, you need the best working conditions," summarizes Baier. And he adds: "Our values are just as important to us. We have been BioBW-certified for almost 20 years, we source our flour from a radius of around 60 kilometers and employ people from 34 different countries."

The company also has a bakery equipped with state-of-the-art technology on the highway near Gültstein. "For the best breads, you need the best bakers and for the best bakers, you need the best working conditions," summarizes Baier. And he adds: "Our values are just as important to us. We have been BioBW-certified for almost 20 years, we source our flour from a radius of around 60 kilometers and employ people from 34 different countries."

Max Baier came into contact with the bakery trade at an early age, and not just because he lived above the bakery for the first three years of his life. "Of course, I helped out in the bakery whenever and wherever I could, for example when it was time to freshen up the sourdough on a Sunday," mentions Baier, who was given an employment contract at the age of 16 and has since implemented digitalization projects in addition to conventional sales. "The fact that the bakery is a constant topic in the family is fulfilling at many times, but also grueling at others," says Baier.

Observing more and more of the processes in a bakery business, the desire to develop an even deeper understanding of business became increasingly apparent. "When you grow up in an entrepreneurial family and have the entrepreneurial gene in you to a certain extent, it's hard not to be interested in business," explains Baier, who switched to the Böblingen Commercial School Center for his senior year. "It was particularly exciting to incorporate my theoretical knowledge into discussions with my father about personnel and product development and apply it in practice," remarks Baier.

Even though his father never pressured him and his siblings to carry on the family tradition and continue the bakery business, the thought of doing so was not only present, but alive in Max Baier's mind. "Shortly before leaving school, however, I expressed concerns to my father about how I would manage to step out of his shadow after entering the bakery business. He replied that the only solution was to find my own sun," says Baier. The next step on the way there was a one-year apprenticeship as a baker in his own family business. Off the beaten track, he wandered from one bakery to the next to learn about different ways of setting up, running and running a bakery. These included a traditional village bakery in Franconia, a hip young bakery in Vienna and one of the largest organic bakeries in Germany. "The nice thing about the bakery industry is that it's a small world. People often know each other, and everyone treats everyone else to the butter on their bread. It's a constant give and take," describes Baier.

Like his father, who was named Pastry Chef of the Year in 1998 and World Baker of the Year in 2018, Max Baier also took part in competitions - and also celebrated successes. In 2023, he became German Champion of Young Bakers, and the following year he was awarded the Medallion of Excellence for outstanding achievements at WorldSkills Lyon - the Olympic Games of the training professions, so to speak. "What I learned in one year of the state competition, national competition and WorldSkills cannot be learned in ten years in my own bakery. I must have taken around 3,000 photos and videos to be able to understand exactly what others do and, above all, how they do it," says Baier, who is also involved in WorldSkills Düsseldorf 2027 - this time, however, he is responsible for the smooth running of the bakery competition as Workshop Manager. "I have to make sure that the right raw materials and machines are available and that everything is in place on time," explains Baier. He also trains the national youth team of bakers; the training sessions include creative product development, the actual baking process and the meticulously simulated time training.

A general interest in business and a special interest in family businesses led Max Baier to the CME Bachelor's degree at ZU. "In fact, I am not only familiar with the topic of succession from family discussions, but also from the constant exchange with other young bakers," adds Baier. He started his studies with the aim of building up a second mainstay by studying business and thus being even more broadly positioned for the future. "My father always preached to us children that the only thing that can't be taken away from us is our own education," says Baier. "I'm impressed by the wide range of courses on offer and the extensive network, but above all by the countless opportunities where you are always supported by helpful people," Baier mentions.

In addition to the business courses, Max Baier attended two seminars offered by the Friedrichshafen Institute for Family Businesses (FIF): one on the history of family businesses and the other on the management of family businesses. "The two FIF seminars were informative in every respect, but even more valuable is the student initiative FamilienFreunde, where students from family businesses meet each other," adds Baier, who co-led the initiative at times and helped organize workshops as well as excursions to one or two family businesses. He became involved again in the middle of his induction week. "Back then, I went straight to the students from StudentLounge e.V. and asked them if they needed any help organizing the Freshers' Party," reports Baier. The end of the story: in his first year at university, he was the event director, and in his second, one of two managing directors of the association. "In a way, we are the back office and support all departments in their tasks and make sure that the entire association adheres to the association's statutes and is economically viable and thus heading in the right direction," explains Baier.