From Home Makers to Baking Entrepreneurs – Women lead

by Mandar Kolhapure
Home baking is no more just a hobby but has evolved itself as a full time profession. Home bakers are making the best use of the social media and have created a brand out of their hobby, talent and passion. In an era of startups, today we can call them as Baking Entrepreneurs. Baking entrepreneurs are booming in India and Belagavi too gets its piece of cake.

The bakery industry is growing rapidly in India over the last few years backed by a strong demand for processed foods. The industry is estimated to grow by 12-15% every year. Today the bakery products are not just limited to cakes and pastries but have enormously spread to muffins, mousse, doughnuts, brownies and the list goes on. Belagavi too has recently seen an increase in number of established bakery chains, individual bakeries and home bakers.

We started the hunt to find the number of home bakers in Belagavi and were sweetly surprised to find almost two dozen of them who are found not just in city limits but in the rural areas as well. The home bakers are mostly women and each one has her own story of starting this business. We tried to interact with a couple of them:

A home baker says “I completed by engineering and was working with a MNC. I got married and had to quit the job after we were blessed with a child. Years passed by and I was labeled as an idle house wife. I joined a baking class and started taking orders, initially from relatives and friends. I did it at zero profit and they helped me spread the word and thankfully today I have sufficient orders every month. This business has given me an identity and hence I give my best to the customers.”

Another baker says “It gives me immense pleasure to make the most important part of a birthday party – The cake. At the same time it gives me a lot of stress till the cake is properly made, delivered and finally cut. Baking is not a cake walk and involves a lot of hard work which gets paid off by the customer’s satisfaction. She winks and says, I check the images of customers on facebook on the event day just to see their smiling faces while cutting the cake. The profession is my only bread and butter so I do it with complete dedication.”

We also asked a few customers as to why they prefer home bakers. Aarati says “I am a vegan and it was very difficult for me to find a bakery that would make me a vegan cake which is equally tasty. I found a home baker who makes it exactly the way I want. Also, being a woman I get the she-for-she feeling of promoting women empowerment.”

Another customer, Rashmi says “Home bakers customize the way I want. I can call them anytime to suggest alterations and can also visit their place to witness the making. They put their heart and soul to complete the order. In fact it’s not just an order but a challenge for them to give the look and also the taste to the customers. They take it as a project and their dedication adds the extra sweetness to the cake.”

Some of the cakes that are trending in metro cities are Paithani cake, Rasmalai cake, Mango Rose cake, assorted cup cakes etc. and mind you these are made by Belagavi bakers too at comparatively lesser rates.

As said earlier, it’s not a cake walk for the home bakers to carry this profession. There are a lot of challenges in front of them like:

Marketing: Most of the women depend on social media and word of mouth for their sales. Online food delivery apps like Zomato and Swiggy are yet to enter Belagavi which not only gives them a market space to sell the cakes but also give them a delivery mechanism.

Awareness: Compared to metro cities where home bakers are in much demand, there is a lack of awareness and acceptability of home bakers in Belagavi. However with the city developing faster and food trends changing rapidly, the women are hopeful about the future.

Sustainability: Not just with the home bakers but with the overall food industry, sustainability has been a major challenge in Belagavi. Once you have converted your hobby to a profession, it is important to think and carry it for longer duration.

Being different: Now that they know that there are almost two dozen home bakers in the city, the competition is going to be tough. The industry demands creativity that changes rapidly. The bakers need to tighten their belts to be in sync with the latest trends. Being professional can help them carve a niche for themselves.

As discussed, home bakers are in tremendous demand in metro cities. This article was written to promote the home bakers of Belagavi who are equally talented. It gives a sense of pride when women are self sufficient and create an identity for themselves. Just a small contribution from us towards women empowerment.

All the best to the Baking Entrepreneurs of Belagavi and hope your products sell like hot cakes…

OWNER’S NAME	TEJASHREE R PATIL
FIRM NAME	CAKE FANTASY HOME BAKED CAKES
CONTACT	8095580491, 9663688557
LOCATION	SADASHIV NAGAR
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	ANY TYPE OF CUSTOMIZED CAKES
OWNER’S NAME	SNEHA KULKARNI JOSHI
FIRM NAME	SK’s CAKES AND CRAFTS
CONTACT	8055523487, 7045443487
LOCATION	AGARKAR ROAD TILAKWADI
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	EGGLESS
SPECIALTIES	COLD CAKES, PASTERIES, FONDANT CAKES, CHOCO LAVA CAKES, CAKE POPS
OWNER’S NAME	ARCHANA DESHPANDE
FIRM NAME	ARCHIE’S BAKES
CONTACT	9850161462
LOCATION	BUDHWAR PETH TILAKWADI
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	CUSTOMIZED THEME CAKES IN FONDANT BASE, FRESH CREAM CAKES
OWNER’S NAME	GARIMA KULKARNI
FIRM NAME	HOMEBAKED LUXURY EXPERIENCE BY GARIMA KULKARNI
CONTACT	8105207777
LOCATION	SOMWAR PETH TILAKWADI
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	EGGLESS
SPECIALTIES	GULAB JAMUN EXPERIENCE CAKE, DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE, BANANA DRY FRUITS CAKE, FLORAL DECORATIONS, JAR CAKES, ASSORTED CUP CAKES
OWNER’S NAME	ARIFA MUJAWAR
FIRM NAME	EATS AND TREATS
CONTACT	9449769061
LOCATION	KUVEMU NAGAR
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	TRUFFLES, BROWNIES, CUPCAKES, GRANOLA HEALTH BARS AND MORE
OWNER’S NAME	ANANYA RUSTOMJI
FIRM NAME	CAKES ROYALE
CONTACT	9620651833
LOCATION	BAUXITE ROAD
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	PLUM CAKES WITH RUM AND WITHOUT RUM, BIRTHDAY CAKES, WEDDING CAKES, THEME CAKES, BROWNIES
OWNER’S NAME	KHALIDA DHAMNEKAR
FIRM NAME	KAKES AND BAKES
CONTACT	9449939044
LOCATION	SADASHIV NAGAR
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	ALL TYPES OF CUSTOMIZED CAKES, FONDANT CAKES, HALAL CAKES
OWNER’S NAME	VAISHALI PIRALE
FIRM NAME	PRA’S CAKES N BAKERS
CONTACT	7996503754
LOCATION	AUTO NAGAR
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	EGGLESS
SPECIALTIES	BLACK FOREST CAKE, BAKES ONLY IN COOKER GIVES ULTIMATE TASTE
OWNER’S NAME	NIKITA MUNDADA
FIRM NAME	BAKE N FLAKE
CONTACT	7411456029
LOCATION	SHAHAPUR
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	MOUSSE, FONDANT CAKES,CAKE LOAFS, BREADS,PUFF PASTRY,FRESH CREAM CAKES,MUFFINS, CUPCAKES
OWNER’S NAME	URVI THAKKAR
FIRM NAME	LOVE FOR CHOCOLATE (L4C)
CONTACT	8550877577
LOCATION	MANDOLI ROAD TILAKWADI
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	EGGLESS
SPECIALTIES	COLD CAKES, DATES CHOCOLATE
OWNER’S NAME	MEGHANA HEGDE
FIRM NAME	THE BROWNIE BAR
CONTACT	9620942099
LOCATION	MANDOLI ROAD TILAKWADI
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH. VEGAN ALSO
SPECIALTIES	EVERYTHING MADE OF WHOLE WHEAT AND BROWN SUGAR, ALCOHOLIC BROWNIES AND CUP CAKES, VEGAN LOAFS
OWNER’S NAME	GEETA GUNJAL
FIRM NAME	SVG FOOD PRODUCTS
CONTACT	9741848486
LOCATION	HINDWADI
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	EGGLESS
SPECIALTIES	VARIETES OF COOKIES, CAKES, PASTERIES, THEME CAKES, WHEAT CUP CAKES, MUFFINS
OWNER’S NAME	RUMAN KILLEDAR
FIRM NAME	SUGAR FANCIES
CONTACT	7338071502
LOCATION	NEHRU NAGAR
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	COLD CAKE, CUP CAKES, AND ALL TYPE OF CUSTOMIZED AND THEME CAKES
OWNER’S NAME	ARTI KAMAT
FIRM NAME	AK BAKES
CONTACT	9967421913
LOCATION	MANGALWAR PETH TILAKWADI
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	ALL TYPES OF CAKES AND MUFFINS
OWNER’S NAME	SHILPA TELSANG
FIRM NAME	CAKES N BAKES
CONTACT	8147340478
LOCATION	BHAGYANAGAR
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	EGGLESS
SPECIALTIES	ALL TYPES OF COLD CAKES AND CUP CAKES
OWNER’S NAME	SANGEETA PRABHU
FIRM NAME	BLUSHY MUFFINS
CONTACT	9448818535
LOCATION	BHAGYANAGAR
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	EGGLESS
SPECIALTIES	ALL TYPES OF COLD CAKES, CHOCOLATE CUP CAKES
OWNER’S NAME	MADHURI GAIKWAD
FIRM NAME	A CAKE FOR A DAY
CONTACT	9901366786
LOCATION	VADAGAON
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	ALL TYPES OF CAKES FOR BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARY
OWNER’S NAME	MAMATA SALOKHE
FIRM NAME	MAMATAS
CONTACT	8830525756
LOCATION	KHANAPUR ROAD
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	EGGLESS
SPECIALTIES	FRESH CREAM CAKES, CHOCOLATES, ICE CREAMS
OWNER’S NAME	NIDHI MAGDUM
FIRM NAME	BAKING BLISS
CONTACT	8861169614
LOCATION	RAMTEERTH NAGAR
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	NON FONDANT CAKES, STRUCTURE CAKES, CUSTOMIZED CUP CAKES.
OWNER’S NAME	POORNIMA JAGTAP
FIRM NAME	SATURNALIA
CONTACT	9108252586
LOCATION	BHAGYANAGAR
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	FONDANT, BIRTHDAY CAKES, COOKIES AND BROWNIES
OWNER’S NAME	SAMIKSHA JADHAV
FIRM NAME	SIDDHESHWAR BAKERS
CONTACT	9379608465, 7026717111
LOCATION	SHIVAJI COLONY TILAKWADI
EGG/EGGLESS/BOTH	BOTH
SPECIALTIES	ANY CUSTOMIZED BIRTHDAY OR EVENT CAKES