Bakery and Pastry Display Cases: Custom Cabinets From the Factory
A pastry case is judged in the first ten seconds: whether the glass is clear, whether the shelves still sit straight under a full tray, and whether the case looks like it belongs in the shop around it. Most failures are structural rather than cosmetic. Glass fogs by mid-morning, a shelf bows a centimetre under load, or the base is fifty millimetres too deep for the counter it was meant to sit on.
We manufacture bakery display cabinets, countertop pastry display cases and full-height cake display cases in our own factory, which means the depth, shelf pitch and glass curve are set from your counter dimensions rather than from a catalogue.
What a pastry case actually has to do
Three jobs, in this order. Keep the product at serving temperature without drying it out. Let a customer read a label through the glass without leaning in. Survive being opened two hundred times a day. Cases that fail usually fail the third one: hinges that were sized for a domestic fridge, shelf clips that were never meant to be re-seated, gaskets that compress and stop sealing within a year.
Countertop or full height
A countertop case suits a bakery that sells from a service counter and wants the product at eye level: 900 to 1200 mm wide is the usual unit, and two or three units can be lined up with a common top. A full-height cake display case suits pre-packaged and celebration cakes, where the customer walks past rather than points. If you are doing both, the two should share a frame colour and a glass tint, or the shop reads as two different shops.
Glass, curves and the fogging problem
Curved front glass looks better and costs more, and it is only worth it where the customer stands close. Straight glass with mitred corners gives most of the effect for less. For chilled cases the real decision is whether you run a heated anti-fog film or rely on air movement: film is quieter and works in humid climates, air movement is cheaper and needs clearance at the back. We quote the two separately so you can see what the difference costs.
Trays, pitch and clearance
Ask your baker what tray they use before anything is drawn. A standard 600 by 400 mm tray needs a clear internal depth of about 620 mm and shelf pitch in multiples of the tray lip, usually 110 to 130 mm. If the case is glazed on three sides, the bottom shelf needs a tilt of 5 to 8 degrees or the front product hides the back. Small details, but they decide whether the case holds twenty-four items or eighteen.
Finishes and service access
Laminate and painted MDF match a fit-out budget; stainless steel edges survive a wet cloth and a knife. Whichever you choose, plan the service side: a removable rear panel and a compressor that can be reached without pulling the case away from the wall saves a service call every time the unit is cleaned.
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