Karl Gmeiner is owner and head baker of Karl’s Bakery in Chapeau. Business was slow at the bakery, so Karl decided to put his young lad to work making Facebook ads for the business.

“I’m just going to do something that helps me and make my life a little bit easier,” he said, recalling his rationale at the time.

So Torsten started making daily Facebook posts advertising sales and specials at his dad’s bakery, which quickly started drawing attention on social media.

His ads, photoshopped images featuring levitating pies, celestial loaves of bread descending from the heavens, and ninja stars in the shape of fleur-de-lis cookies, started to get more likes and comments from members of the community.

On an April 25 post advertising a sale on Chelsea buns, Tammie Lamothe commented: “I absolutely love your new posts. He makes me want to drive the hour drive to go get some.”

In the past month, three posts have received 50 or more likes – something that never happened before Torsten started doing the ads.

Karl says the posts are not only increasing engagement with the Facebook page, but also helping people discover his business.

“There was a couple that came in from Vancouver and said they had a cottage where they’ve been going for like 20 years. They never knew there was a bakery.”

When they started getting positive feedback from customers about the posts, Karl decided to turn what was once a punishment into a lucrative opportunity for his son.

They came to an arrangement.

“For every like he gets, I give him 25 cents.”

The number started at 50 cents per like, but once Karl saw the number of likes the posts were getting he decided to lower the rate.

“The posts we had done before had 10-15, maybe 20 likes. So I’m thinking like $10. Why not?”

Torsten has worked at the bakery since he was young, earning the nickname Junior Boss.

From a young age the boy gave his stamp of approval on bakery goods ranging from . . .

pretzels to his own favourite treat – the jelly donuts.

Over the years Torsten has developed a knack for customer service, which he credits to his outgoing and bubbly personality.

“From all my time from doing the cash register, I’ve made customers laugh, so I just picked up what I used to do and did it in my Facebook posts,” he said.

“A lot of the time people are commenting saying ‘super funny’, ‘super good’ or ‘hilarious’. It feels good.”

Torsten said the ideas for his posts are mostly off the cuff.

“I don’t really have that much prep,” he said. “When I get back from school I just pick up the camera and I think of something.”

While Karl said the posts are helping business, he acknowledges running a bakery has been tough the past few years. Sweet bakery treats are a luxury item, and people can buy them cheaper at the grocery store.

On top of this, the exodus of cottagers after the summer months can make the off-seasons especially difficult. That’s why the father-son duo started the ad campaign – to try and drum up more business.

And as far as they can see, it’s working.

Karl says this summer they are seeing a lot of regulars visit the bakery as well as a lot of new faces, something he attributes in part to Torsten’s Facebook ads.

Torsten is happy to be able to contribute to his family business. He’s proud to work alongside his dad at the bakery and help the business grow.

But he doesn’t want to work at a bakery forever. His ambitions have nothing to do with marketing, photoshop, or Chelsea buns.

When he’s done high school he wants to attend university in Germany, with the hopes of becoming a meteorologist.

“I’ve always been interested in natural disasters and the earth and stuff, especially space,” he said.

He’s only in Grade 10, so he’s got a few years to go. But if Torsten leaves, Karl said the lad is going to have to teach him a few tricks on Facebook to keep the ads rolling.

Karl still has some time to learn the ropes, as Torsten isn’t going anywhere yet.

This summer you can catch him every other week working the bakery counter, serving customers with a smile.

Torsten Gmeiner (left) is the face behind the new ads at Karl’s Bakery in Chapeau, owned by his dad Karl Gmeiner (right).

Another ad features a pie with wings. It reads: “The pies in the bakery are descended from above. This pie came down flying in with white angel wings.”

Register or subscribe to read this content

Thanks for stopping by! This article is available to readers who have created a free account or who subscribe to The Equity.

When you register for free with your email, you get access to a limited number of stories at no cost. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access to everything we publish—and directly support quality local journalism here in the Pontiac.

Register or Subscribe Today!