Mérida, Yucatán — Baking is a big business in Yucatán.
While bakeries here tend to be small mom-and-pop operations, together they represent a mighty industry.
In the state, there are 2,500 such shops, 800 in Mérida alone.
They tend to succeed on their own, with a closure rate of just 2 percent, according to the Chamber of Baking Industry.
The Chamber is trying to convince more bakeries to join their network. So far, just 100 bake shops are part of the guild, which offers business guidance to entrepreneurs.
The Chamber also wants to convince more bakers to officially register their shops with the government.
For every five regulated bakeries, two operate “informally,” escaping taxes and scrutiny from city inspectors.
Another Chamber group, Canacope, has an offer for bakers who want to ensure they are working with clean water.
The group has signed an agreement with the Acualim O2, which will provide them with potabilizers capable of disinfecting their water tanks and cisterns for less than 500 pesos, semi-annually. Larvae and mineral deposits are common in untended water tanks.
Since opening in Mérida a year and a half ago, the company says it has cleaned 500 tinacos for various businesses and private homes.
