You can make it! Scaling Sweet Success in Food Manufacturing

Xanny Christophersen

At the helm of her family’s dessert empire, Xanny Christophersen orchestrates a sweet symphony of production at a scale that transforms baking into sophisticated manufacturing.

“I make desserts. When I say what I do I’d put it down into layman’s terms and say I make cake for a living on scale – in a week 270,000 units of dessert. We would go through nine tonnes of egg in a week,” Xanny explains.

From Station Wagon to CEO

Xanny’s journey began with childhood experiences that provided a foundation for her understanding of the business from the ground up.

“My parents own the business. My aunt started delivering cakes at the back of the station wagon and I used to do that with her when I was about 7,” she recalls. “Between 10 and 14 on my school holidays we’d learn the value of money and doing a job. I was also really curious so I used to escape from what they used to call ‘the kitchen’ and learn how to do the sales orders.”

After working part-time in the factory during university, her career took several unexpected turns, including finance work in the UK. Her return came when “My dad asked me to come back to solve a problem and I solved the problem that they had in like a two-week period.”

This successful intervention launched a meteoric rise: “I went from never leading people to leading 150 staff at age 25. From plant manager I got promoted into Chief Operating Officer role and then became CEO in May this year.”

Reimagining the Manufacturing Environment

Xanny has created a facility that departs dramatically from traditional manufacturing settings, balancing efficiency with warmth and employee wellbeing.

“It feels like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory… Manufacturing on a large scale but still finished by hand. There’s lots of butter, lots of chocolate, lots of sugar. It’s all really high quality ingredients on the production floor.”

Her approach breaks down hierarchical barriers between management and production staff: “All of the staff upstairs aren’t allowed to eat, so they have to go downstairs and integrate with the manufacturing workers. There’s a price of entry into my executive team where you work across all shifts—to make the connection with the people and understand their pain points.”

The Art and Science Behind Mass Production

Xanny sees food manufacturing as a sophisticated blend of systems thinking, scientific understanding, and artistry—especially when creating consistent, high-quality baked goods at scale.

“Manufacturing has a branding problem — people don’t actually understand it. It’s really just a set of systems and processes to make a product. But with baking in particular, there’s so much more to it. It is an absolute science to get it right in a way that means that you get beautiful product quality out every single time. There’s a real art and science to it.”

Breaking Gender Barriers and Work-Life Reality

As a female CEO in a male-dominated industry, Xanny has developed specific strategies to ensure her effectiveness.

“It’s not uncommon for me to be the only female in a very male dominated room,” she observes. “You need to be very comfortable in your own skin and you need to have a presence to be able to own a room. You need to be able to back yourself to speak up, have your say and not just blend in.”

When asked about balancing executive responsibilities with family life, Xanny is refreshingly candid: “It’s impossible. Everyone wants this really sexy answer. There is no formula, there is just survival and getting through it. It’s about teamwork at home. My husband does all the cooking, all the cleaning. He does the daycare pick up and drop off.”

She points to broader societal expectations: “They want you to work like you don’t have any children, but they want you to parent like you don’t work.”

Advice for Manufacturing Careers

Xanny advocates for practical experience over formal education: “Getting out and about to actually see what manufacturing’s about is really important. I think university degrees are less and less important and it’s more about practical hands-on skills and knowledge to work your way up inside businesses.”

Her most direct counsel is straightforward: “Back yourself. There’s no boy tasks, there’s no girl tasks, there’s just tasks. Have a crack. Just go for it. You’re the sum of the five people that you hang out with most. Choose wisely who those five people are. Make sure you get someone that treats you like an equal.”