No electricity? No problem, we can still bake!

Outside of Kigali, TWB works in rural remote communities in Rwanda, where access to electricity is scarce, and using any electronic equipment is almost impossible.

Does that hinder TWB from providing affordable, nutritious bread to its communities? Nope! 

TWB, in partnership with local welders, has engineered, a cool yet simple to operate wood oven model that is replicated across all remote TWB Bakeries. Wood ovens are the alternative to electric ovens, which are used more seamlessly in more urban locations, like Kigali. 

The wood oven is used for TWB women to bake the bread - the ovens are simple in design and economically sound for less fire wood consumption than a residential door chimney. 

All breads are effectively baked, and efficiently sold at affordable price to the local communities around our bakeries, and if this doesn’t prove the power of enabled communities and asset based community development, I don’t know what else would.

TWB has been able to show the world that remote communities cannot be left out of development and economic opportunity just because they don’t have access the basic infrastructure.

The Women’s Bakery believes it! What about you?

Flashback to Memory Lane

Switching from wooden ovens to electric ovens at our Kigali Bakery was a game changer, but as a Rwandan proverb says, “If you don’t remember where you came from, you will never know where you are going.”

Keeping our old wooden ovens was just an idea to use them for back-up when there is a black out or power shortage. Recently, we did lose power, and seeing the TWB women back to the old oven also called “The Agakecuru” ("the old lady") as the women call it, reminded us of the old memories TWB went through when we were only using the wooden oven.

This incident prompted me to reflect and also gave me a lot to appreciate for where we are now. This is also a marker, and for other bakeries that are starting from the beginning, they can see that growth is certainly possible. 

Remembering how far we have come is a paramount value to hold onto as our journey toward success continues. Now, we're building our brand even more and even launching a coffee shop!

Best yet, we're just getting started. 

Together we rise! Bread Power.

Incorporating New Technology – Bakery Growth Pains & Gains

With our exciting move into the Kigali Flagship, TWB has spent the last month in the thick of readjustments, and lots of furniture moving!

While the transition has been a bit stressful and chaotic at times, as one would imagine when combining three entities into one (Kigali Bakery + training center + TWB offices), the results are already proving positive. The bakery took only one day off from operations to transition, and has been increasing production ever since in the larger production space. Meanwhile, the training center is already hosting its first training- TWB’s Bakery Operations Manager Training pilot program, and the company offices are happy to be closer to the Kigali bakery women, as well as the fresh daily bread! 

One of the most exciting, and challenging, new adjustments to the bakery production in Kigali is the use of technical baking equipment, including electric mixers and a three-deck gas oven. While the Kigali baking team was naturally skeptical when we first introduced the new oven and began running tests to ensure the quality and consistency of our bread, everyone has quickly learned new procedures and adopted the giant metal box that clicks and beeps and rings alarms into their daily operations. Within the first week of using the gas oven, the baking team shaved nearly 2 hours from their production time! And, the oven masters no longer have to juggle feeding the fire and monitoring the heat all while baking delicious breads to perfection.  

Over the next few weeks we will also fully incorporate the electric mixers, with the assistance and guidance of our Corporate Sponsor Rademaker to ensure the process. 

We are grateful and excited to take these next steps towards growth in Kigali, and we look forward to improving our efficiency and impact by incorporating better technology!

Success Comes In Different Slices

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!