Dewdrops, others create market opportunity for start-up bakers
Dewdrops Cakes Limited and other partners have empowered young bankers to enable them acquire more skills and connect with partners from different parts of the world.
Dewdrops Cakes, last week, organised an event that brought together young bakers, where one of them was provided with N1 million worth of equipment.
Ezinne Okonkwo, managing director and chief executive officer of Dewdrops Cakes said, “A lot of things inspired this programme– the need to empower the younger bakers, increase and improve the cake industry in Nigeria as well as bring up bakers with quality and not quantity. We need to put the Nigerian cake industry on the map. Today, we set up a lucky person’s business with equipment worth one million naira got from different bakers with a similar passion to support people that are two years in business and less that are finding it difficult to sort themselves out.”
Okonkwo said manufacturers often did not see the need to assist bakers, their end users, adding that without them the former wouldn’t be able to sell their products.
“I spent my money buying from these manufacturers but when it came to empowerment they were not there. People were not really giving out and everybody was hiding their knowledge, but today it is a different ball game. We have people from Ghana, Cameroon, Canada and other parts of the world streaming. It took about N10.5milloin to set up this event and for free,” Ezinne stated.
She further said that food was most essential to everybody, urging job seekers to learn new skills rather than wait for phantom government jobs.
“Over a thousand people here created jobs for themselves. It takes a disciplined mind to go into this business. It is pure capital intensive; you have to be able to build, keep and save every penny you get as a start-up. Anybody coming into baking as hobby will struggle to develop it. Five years from now, the Nigerian cake industry will be on the map,” she stated.
Terry Adido, chief executive officer of Grated Nutmeg Canada, said learning from different online platforms was important, rather than just looking for people to learn from.
“Some of the best bakers in Nigeria are men, so, it is not just a lady’s job. There is money in baking industry, especially in Nigeria, because the people here are beginning to appreciate the beauty in the industry, but before making the money, you have to be unique. Set yourself aside, build your brand and when you are able to do this, people are ready to pay you what your money is worth.”
Angel James