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…