What is Cakesify?
Vinitha
6 mins read
A Conversation with Martin, Co-Founder & CEO of Cakesify
Did you know that in India alone, approximately 70% of culinary creations never even reach the mainstream market? Across India, and in other places too, people make food that doesn’t fit into commercial systems. A cake perfected at home. A sweet made for a festival. A snack known only to a small community. Or a dish from another country, cooked quietly in someone’s kitchen here.
These foods aren’t made for menus or mass production. They carry skill, memory, and cultural meaning.
According to Martin, the challenge has never been the food.
“The problem,” he says, “is that there was never infrastructure built for this kind of food.”
Cakesify exists to give these food creators a place where their work can be seen and valued, without asking it to become something it’s not.
Martin, how would you describe Cakesify to someone hearing about it for the first time?
Martin:
Cakesify is a marketplace for unique, handmade food. Food that isn’t meant for mass production or standardisation.
We started with baking, because that’s where many people begin. But Cakesify was always meant to be broader. It’s for independent food creators who make rare, traditional, or cultural food—whether it comes from an Indian home or elsewhere.
One seller makes a festive sweet, but only for a few weeks each year. Before Cakesify, she sold through word of mouth. Now, she lists what she can make and delivers locally, on her own terms.
That’s a very different focus from most food platforms.
Martin:
It is. That’s intentional.
Most food platforms are built for restaurants and scale. They expect standard menus, big volumes, and fixed logistics. In contrast, Cakesify embraces patience and provenance over speed and sameness. Handmade food doesn’t fit the typical model.
Some food is seasonal. Some is made only when someone asks. Some things are known only in certain families or cultures. We’ve seen sellers who cook dishes from their home countries—food you won’t find on restaurant menus here. People are looking for that kind of authenticity.
Cakesify is built for these realities. We care more about authenticity, flexibility, and quality than about speed or scale. Imagine the pleasure of tasting a dish that connects you to someone’s lineage, a piece of their cultural tapestry. It’s like savouring history and tradition in every bite, a sensory journey that transforms curiosity into cultural appreciation.
So Cakesify isn’t only about baking?
Martin:
Not at all.
Baking is a big part, but Cakesify is also for cultural desserts, festive treats, traditional snacks, and rare homemade dishes from anywhere.
Many of our sellers make small-batch food tied to their own stories or culture. These aren’t menus meant to scale. That’s exactly why they belong here. We often see sellers like the ‘Festive Specialist,’ who creates traditional sweets for festivals, and the ‘Heritage Guardian,’ who preserves family recipes passed down through generations. By giving them distinct identities, Cakesify amplifies their unique contributions and allows customers to connect with them on a personal level.
Who typically becomes a seller on Cakesify?
Martin:
Most of our sellers never planned to start a business.
They started by cooking or baking for friends and family. As more people asked, Cakesify gave them a way to set up a store and be found without becoming a restaurant or making a big investment.
What does it take to get started on the platform?
Martin:
Anyone can try Cakesify without hassle. You can set up a store, list your food, and try things out. No payment or card is needed to start. You pay a one-time fee only when you’re ready to go live and take orders. After this, there’s a small service fee on each transaction that helps us maintain and improve the platform. This allows sellers to manage costs efficiently without any ongoing financial surprises.
Here’s a challenge:
List one dish tonight and see who bites tomorrow. Embrace the thrill of discovery and step into a world where your culinary creation could find its perfect audience.
Are there regulatory requirements sellers need to meet?
Martin:
Yes. Sellers need a valid FSSAI registration, as required by Indian food safety laws.
We help new creators with registration, so they can operate responsibly and build trust with customers.
Trust is critical in food. How does Cakesify address that?
Martin:
Trust is at the core of Cakesify.
We verify every seller and check compliance. Customers know where their food comes from. Sellers stay accountable. Cakesify feels personal, not anonymous.
How do customers discover food on Cakesify?
Martin:
Discover rare culinary treasures just five kilometres from home. Cakesify connects sellers with nearby customers seeking fresh, authentic, handmade food, making it effortless for unique dishes to find their audience.
Sellers use their Cakesify store as a digital storefront, sharing it with their community and customers. The platform adds structure and credibility, with built-in branding and payment tools.
Delivery can be tricky for handmade food. How are you handling it?
Martin:
We stay flexible and pay attention to each seller’s location.
We’re building delivery partnerships in big cities for sellers who need organised logistics. As we grow, we’ll add more places. Sellers can still handle delivery themselves, especially in small towns where delivery networks don’t exist.
We adapt to each seller’s situation. There isn’t just one way to deliver.
And delivery charges?
Martin:
Delivery charges depend on how the food is delivered.
If sellers deliver the food themselves, they set the charges. If a delivery partner is used, the fee matches their cost and is shown at checkout. Customers see the charges before they order.
Finally, what is Cakesify really trying to build?
Martin:
We’re building the structure that makes unique food visible and trustworthy.
Food that carries culture, memory, and skill, whether it’s from a home kitchen in India or someone making a dish they grew up with somewhere else. If Cakesify helps people earn a steady income from what they already do well, we’ve done our job.
Cakesify isn’t just a marketplace.
It’s a place where food that doesn’t fit into mass production can have a home.