Automation and the ‘Cake Boss’ journey from craft to commercial

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Automation and the ‘Cake Boss’ journey from craft to commercial

27 Mar 2026

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA — It’s a household name — Cake Boss — from the iconic reality TV show to the man himself, celebrity baker Buddy Valastro. Even a Google search for “Cake Boss vending” reveals images of vending machines that carry cake slices and bear the synonymous brand, Carlo’s Bakery.

Valastro, a fourth-generation baker and owner of the Hoboken, NJ-based bakery, has led the growth of Carlo’s from a local bakery to commercially producing cakes and cake slices for vending machines, retail outlets and more around the world.

Although the TLC show created celebrity status for the Cake Boss name, it was around 2020 when Carlo’s Bakery products were thrust into commercial production to provide easy consumer access well beyond New Jersey.

Turning the corner toward manufacturing

With Cake Boss fame and the launch of Carlo’s Bakery vending machines in Las Vegas, the bakery was making anywhere from 500 to 1,000 cakes a day with the help of automation, including equipment from Unifiller, and MAP packaging to extend shelf life without preservatives. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Carolo’s retail locations shut down, online and wholesale orders skyrocketed, and the business evolved.

“Once that happened, we were making to 2,000 or 3,000 cakes a day,” Valastro said. “That was around the time I thought, ‘Maybe we could sell into supermarkets,’ and I had my first meetings with Walmart after they saw my vending machines in Vegas.”

Valastro reflected on this pivotal moment as the guest of honor during the grand opening of the new Unifiller manufacturing facility in Richmond, British Columbia. A longtime Unifiller customer, Valastro shared his perspective of more than two decades of partnership with Unifiller, a brand of Coperion FHN’s Finished Desserts and Meal Solutions Unit.

“In my old bakery, one Unifiller to deposit batter was probably all I needed,” Valastro said. “It helped us get away from scooping by hand, and we could easily change amounts with the flywheel in the back. When we started growing, we had about three machines.”

“I’m not looking to make it easier. I’m looking to make a better cake.” — Buddy Valastro | owner | Carlo’s Bakery

Increasing quantity, maintaining quality

A self-proclaimed innovator, Valastro has pushed the business — and production — to new heights, including products sold at Walmart.

“We were making some complex products, and I had to figure out how to make more,” he said. “By working with Unifiller and adding more equipment, we were able to make a big transition.”

Today, each cake line in the bakery’s manufacturing facility can produce anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 cakes a day. Although Carlo’s Bakery commercial output grows each year, Valastro emphasized the importance of quality over quantity.

“It all comes down to the equipment and the process, but I’m not looking to make it easier,” he said. “I’m looking to make a better cake.”

Valastro noted that with Unifiller depositors, the operation can create up to 70,000 pounds of cake batter a day without straying from its scratch recipe.

With Unifiller equipment including mid-filler, cake icer and drop head equipment, the bakery can ice up to 27 cakes a minute with precision while also making life easier for decorators on the lines.

“There’s a fine line of what you need in robotics versus what you need from a person,” Valastro said. “You don’t want to take work away from them; you just want to make it more comfortable for each person on every shift.”

Advanced automation is also supporting the next stages for Carlo’s product innovation.

“It’s about making sense of how we can push the boundaries of innovation,” Valastro said. “I’m always thinking about how we can create new designs, different textures or new flavor profiles. And we have to deliver them efficiently to the lines to mass produce it.”

After decades of custom cake creations that ranged from several feet in height or diameter, or even with moving parts, Valastro thinks like an engineer, not just with cake but also in his equipment needs.

“For us, the next evolution is having lines that are precise in the full scope of the bakery,” he said. “We need an all-in-one solution, especially when half the battle is ensuring consistency in what we’re putting though the equipment, whether it’s batter or buttercream.”

Increased space for more custom innovation

With roughly three times more space than the previous Unifiller facility, the new space has also taken on production of Bakon equipment, another brand in Coperion FHN’s Finished Desserts and Meal Solutions Unit.

“It’s exciting to see what we can do going forward in this facility,” said Matt Craig, president of Coperion FHN. “The robotics aspect is such an interesting piece for our business, and as our brands learn from one another, we can create even more holistic, complete bakery solutions for our customers.”

Innovation such as Unifiller’s Cake-O-Matic icer, whose nozzles are custom-made according to customer specifications and cake sizes, enables bakers to dial in speed and efficiency for any product.

That’s important to a baker like Valastro, who prides himself on knowing how to work on any aspect of the production process.

“Cake Boss taught me to think like an engineer, and by nature I’m a problem-solver,” Valastro said. “It’s about understanding the equipment and understanding where the problems are. It’s a collaborative effort.”

That baker-vendor relationship in many ways mirrors the Carlo’s Bakery culture, which still focuses on family. For Valastro, that’s where the trust has come from, and it’s what drives the innovation.

“I’m excited about the friendship and partnership I’ve had with Unifiller for almost 25 years,” Valastro said. “We’ve really evolved together. Unifiller has been there for me through thick and thin, and there’s a huge level of respect that we have for each other. The kid in me still believes anything is possible. Seeing the plant, and seeing this new chapter for Unifiller, is so exciting. We’re like family — I guess I’m like the crazy cousin from New Jersey — but we are extended family, and I’m standing here supporting Unifiller because they have always stood behind what they do.”

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