Mrs. Laura Bass founded Laura’s Cheesecake
in 1989 to share the recipes her family and
friend’s loved with her local community. Today,
Laura’s is co-owned by Suzanne and Mitchell
Walker and have expanded their business
significantly. They have a wholesale business
bringing small batch cheesecakes made with
fresh ingredients to East Texas partners as
well as continuing to bring their local
community together around the table through
a local cafe, catering, and a special event
space.
The Situation
As part of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, TMAC provides certain grant-funded services to local small and mid-size manufacturers. Laura’s Cheesecake reached out to TMAC for a review of their operations as part of these grant-funded services. When TMAC arrived on site, Laura’s was producing approximately 500 cheesecakes per week.
After a review of their operations, the TMAC team provided Laura’s with several recommendations leading to incredible results.
The Solution
The TMAC team recommended several changes to their operations through their grant-funded assessment:
1. Eliminating multiple batching operations and moving to a single-piece flow process
2. Optimizing oven space for better efficiency
3. Replacing manual tasks with technology-driven solutions:
a. Hand-buttering replaced with a spray system
b. Hand-pouring replaced with a filling machine
These changes streamlined operations, reduced labor, and improved efficiency.
The Results
Through the changes TMAC recommended as part of their grant-funded assessment, Laura’s Cheesecake made significant improvements:
1. Increase in production to 1900 cheesecakes per week, a 280% increase or 3.8x through-put
2. Labor efficiency per until improved by 73.7%
“TMAC didn’t just help us complete large orders—they helped us discover what our business was truly capable of. Their guidance continues to shape how we grow, plan, and dream for the future, and we are deeply grateful for their ongoing support and belief in our team.”
– Suzanne Walker, Owner, Laura’s Cheesecake
