Opening & Launching the TWB Café Shop and Flagship Bakery

Next Monday is a critical day for The Women’s Bakery: we are officially opening up our flagship location with a soft launch. We can hardly believe that it is finally here!

When we started the bakery at Remera, our endeavors were challenging. However, after moving to our flagship bakery, I can see (and know) that our future is bright.

Together, for the last several months, we have been working together to achieve our mission of launching our Kigali Flagship. It would not have been possible with the passion, energy, and inspiration of our staff at TWB.

With the launch of the café shop and new bakery, our goal is to expand production and volume for our bread products. Ultimately, this will support our biggest goal: bakery profitability.

Since I joined the team in 2016, I have seen many positive changes in the organization. The move to the flagship feels like the biggest accomplishment so far, and because of that, I am positive, but also confident.

We have taken many small steps that have led to this big step. This is bread power.  

Incubator for Change (Part II)

This week, we are releasing a two-part series called "Incubator for Change" that showcases the impact that TWB has had on our community at large. Today, we are focusing on the women that work directly in our bakery, specifically in our Kigali location, the Remera Bakery. 

We have 100% retention rate with the women who have been working in the Kigali bakery. All seven women that began in the bakery in June 2016 are still with us. They have changed in small and big ways. Many of the employees can now purchase new clothes, new accessories, and new things that allow for self-expression. They proudly wear these items to work each day and it does not go unnoticed. There is confidence and assuredness. 

Our women report being able to send their children to school and having the purchasing power to buy nutritious foods.

We asked a group of them to share what advice they would give to a new training in the TWB program.

Here’s what they had to say.

From the Bakery

I would tell them how TWB has helped me to grow, to be “smart”, and eat nutritious bread. (Jeanne D’Arc) 

When starting a business, you must plan. Everything from inventory, to sales, you must know how you will go about achieving your business goals. And, you want to make the bakery a nice place to come. (Faith)

 Care about what you are learning and love what you are doing. This is how you can move forward. I would tell them how nutritious things are important in our lives. Oh, how important hygiene and cleanliness are, too. (Athanasie)  

I would tell them TWB helps open your mind and gives hope. (Rose)

Maintain your self-confidence. From this training and business, you can learn about nutrition and help your own children. (Suzanne)

Overcome your fears with self-confidence. (Cecile)

Don’t have fear of parts of the job that you might not know how to do. Love to work hard. Have patience. Never lose hope. (Liziki)

Measuring change is a formidable process.

We have data collection processes, survey questions, and measurements to understand the efficacy of our training program and business start-up services. When we see impact across all levels of our work, we can continue to press forward, knowing that we are “moving the needle” and achieving incremental change in a world of complex problems and systemic issues.

As an organization, we continue to grow and change as a group (and as individuals), always returning to the catalyst that got us started in the first place, “we can, and therefore, we must.”