Macrina Bakery Modernized Production Processes

The Seattle institution transitioned to a digital software system in 2025 to streamline its daily operations.

Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Baking

Bold vector editorial illustration showing artisan bread, wheat sheaves, and a steel tray on a wooden surface, representing a bakery's operational upgrade.
Seattle-based Macrina Bakery transitioned to a digital software system in 2025, moving away from manual spreadsheets to streamline operations for its seven cafe locations. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Founded in 1993, Macrina Bakery began moving its operations to a paperless system in 2025. The bakery, which serves more than 1,000 wholesale customers, adopted new software to replace manual spreadsheets.

Why it matters

The company sought to move away from paper and Excel workflows that struggled to manage its high volume of business transactions. This transition aims to improve operational efficiency across the bakery's seven cafes and its distribution network.

Macrina Bakery currently utilizes approximately 75% of its new digital system. The firm employs roughly 320 people to support its seven cafes and extensive wholesale operations.

The players

Macrina Bakery

This established Seattle bakery operates seven cafes and manages production for over 1,000 wholesale accounts.

Cybake

This is the software provider selected by the bakery to manage its digital production and delivery systems.

The details

Staff now utilize tablets to view production sheets in real time, while delivery drivers use a mobile application to navigate routes and photograph successful deliveries. This shift allows the bakery to replace printed documentation with digital tracking across its entire production line.

Timeline

  1. Macrina Bakery was founded in 1993.

  2. The transition to new software began in 2025.

Culture Shift

The bakery's adoption of digital tracking follows the broader industry trend of the digital transformation of mid-sized food manufacturing operations to reduce manual overhead. This shift reflects a wider movement toward cloud-based management systems in traditional artisan production environments.

Customers are unlikely to notice changes to the products themselves, though the improved delivery tracking may lead to more consistent wholesale availability. The digital upgrade primarily affects internal logistics rather than the daily in-store consumer experience.

The takeaway

Embracing specialized software can allow legacy businesses to scale operations without increasing manual labor requirements. Small-to-medium enterprises often find that removing paper-based dependencies is a critical step in maintaining quality while expanding their customer base.

Further reading

Learn more about local culinary developments in the Baking section.

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Do you believe transitioning to paperless digital operations generally improves efficiency for small businesses?