Success Comes In Different Slices
A question we often receive is “Can a woman run her own baking business using the skills she learned in training, without start-up capital, and without a fancy oven?” The answer is a resounding Yes she can!
When Markey and Julie traveled to Bukoba, Tanzania in February of 2015, their goal was to train 20 women to work in a bakery just outside of the town center. What we learned, nearly a year following the initial training, is that many of the trainees have taken the skills learned to their homes. Moreover, they are training other women, and selling breads independently, too! While the co-op bakery near town still operates with 3 employees, many of the women have been able to start their own small-scale bakery enterprises.
In June 2016 seven of the 20 women trained in 2015 reported that they were baking one day per week for approximately eight hours per day. Daily sales were between 5-8,000 TSH (approximately 2-4 USD). Most of the women are making banana loaves and selling them by the slice. Two of the seven women report also making carrot bread! This is a new recipe that TWB staff taught during a site visit in February 2016. All of the women are using a jiko - a traditional stove using charcoal or wood fuel. These small bakeries have helped to supplement the women’s agricultural and other business income.
A question we often receive is “Can a woman run her own baking business using the skills she learned in training, without start-up capital, and without a fancy oven?”
The answer is a resounding Yes she can!
