Selling and marketing
Baked Donuts Wholesale: Price per Dozen and Your Margin
What a dozen baked donuts costs you, what to charge a cafe, and the margin left after labor.
On this page
What to remember
- Wholesale prices often sit at 50 to 60% of your retail price.
- A batch of 24 baked donuts has to carry ingredients, boxes, your time, and power.
- Set a minimum order before you quote a price.
- One account that orders every week beats five that order once.
Most home bakers get their first wholesale yes from a coffee shop owner they already know. That first order feels like a win, and it is also where the money quietly disappears if the batch was never costed. Baked donuts wholesale only works when the price per dozen covers everything that dozen costs you.
What one wholesale order of baked donuts really costs
Start with a single batch of 24 baked donuts. Four lines cover the whole cost: what went in the bowl, what the donuts leave the kitchen in, what your hour is worth, and what it costs to run the oven and make the delivery.
Cost the ingredients
Flour, sugar, milk, eggs, butter, and glaze for one batch of 24. In this example that comes to $7.20.
Add the packaging
Two boxes, liners, and a label. In this example that is $2.40 for the batch.
Pay yourself
One hour of mixing, baking, and glazing at $18 an hour is $18.00. That line belongs in the cost, not in the profit.
Add overhead
Power for the oven, the dishwasher, and the drive to the cafe. In this example that is $3.40.
Divide by the count
$7.20 plus $2.40 plus $18.00 plus $3.40 is $31.00. Across 24 donuts that is $1.29 each, or $15.50 a dozen.
Check the margin
At $24 a dozen you keep $8.50 a dozen, about 35%. At $18 a dozen you keep $2.50, about 14%.
That last step is the one that decides the account. A cafe offering $18 a dozen is not being unfair, but at that price you need a big standing order to make the morning pay. Your number is your number, and it is easier to hold when you can show the math.
How to set your baked donuts wholesale price
Build the price from your cost, not from what the shop down the road charges. Add your margin on top of the full cost, then stand back and compare it with your retail price. Wholesale prices often land at 50 to 60% of retail, which is a useful sanity check rather than a rule. How to price baked goods for wholesale walks through the full method.
Write the price down and keep it. The fastest way to lose money is to quote a different number to every shop because you are guessing at the counter. A written price list also makes it simple to raise prices once a year.
Pick a minimum that covers your setup and your trip, and hold it. Two dozen is a workable starting point, and it is enough to fill a tray without a second run.
What to check before you take a wholesale account
A wholesale account is a weekly promise, not a one time sale. Before you say yes, know how many dozen they want, which days they need them, and who is paying for the boxes. Ask what happens in a slow week, because a standing order that stops without warning leaves you with trays you cannot sell.
Boxes are the line most home bakers forget. Donuts boxes wholesale breaks down what a box costs and what it does to your margin, and wholesale donut supplies covers case prices for the things you buy in bulk. Both are worth reading before you agree a price.
Mistakes that eat your donut margin
The first mistake is pricing from ingredients alone. Flour and sugar are the cheapest part of a baked donut, so a price built on them will not survive a busy week. The second is treating your own hour as free.
The third mistake is saying yes to an order that is too small to run. Six donuts on a Tuesday is a favor, not a wholesale account. Set a minimum, such as two dozen, so the mixing, the boxes, and the trip are all worth doing.
The fourth is quoting before you have costed the box, the label, and the drive. Add those three to your cost sheet once, and every quote after that takes two minutes. The rest of our selling guides cover pricing, packaging, and first orders.
Getting paid and keeping the order
Decide how you get paid before the first delivery, not after. A short invoice with the count, the price per dozen, and the total keeps the account clean. Send it the same day the donuts land, while the order is still fresh in their mind.
Then protect the account. A steady weekly order is worth more than five shops that order once, so ask for a set delivery day and a standing count. How to sell wholesale baked goods covers the first order and what to bring.
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Common questions
How much should I charge for baked donuts wholesale?
Start from your full cost per dozen, then add your margin. In the example on this page a batch of 24 costs $31.00 all in, which is $15.50 a dozen. At $24 a dozen you keep $8.50, about 35%. Your own numbers will differ, so cost your batch first.
Is 50 to 60% of retail the right wholesale price?
It is a useful check, not a rule. Some shops will pay more for a donut they cannot get elsewhere, and some will push for less. What matters is that the price covers ingredients, packaging, your time, and overhead. If it does not, the percentage is beside the point.
Should I deliver baked donuts wholesale orders?
Only if the price pays for the trip. Add the drive to your overhead line before you quote, and set a delivery day that suits you. If the run is long, a minimum order or a pickup point keeps the account worth having.
What is a fair minimum order for baked donuts wholesale?
Pick a number that covers your setup, your boxes, and your trip. Two dozen is a workable starting point for a small account. Write the minimum into your price list so you are not deciding it at the counter when someone asks for six.
Do I need a license to sell baked donuts wholesale?
Rules for selling food from home vary by state, so check your own state's requirements before you take a wholesale order. This page covers pricing and margin, not permits. Confirm what applies to you before you quote a shop.
This is general information about pricing and margin, not legal, tax, or accounting advice. Rules for selling food from home vary by state, so confirm your own requirements before you take a wholesale order.