Unique partnerships are nothing new in the baking industry, but Charles Feder, owner of Rossmoor Pastries in Signal Hill, Calif., found one that helps himself, a cabinet maker and the environment. “A lot of bakers use cardboard or MFG for cake boards,” Feder said. “But because I have butter in my cakes, I have to deal with cracking, so I have to use a heavy board.”

Feder figured cabinet makers had suitable waste wood, so he approached a cabinet manufacturer about a partnership. The cabinet maker uses a computer program to size and cut the cake boards (Feder gives him the sizes and shapes he needs) out of the scrap material that would otherwise be thrown away. The cabinet manufacturer makes money, Feder saves money by purchasing cheap cake boards. And, that material does not go into a landfill, helping the environment.

“He can't always keep up with my needs, but it was a really good deal, and I couldn't pass that up,” Feder said.