Len’s Bakeries bring Baker’s Affair
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Sunday October 9, 2022 06:00
Lenyatso told Arts & Culture that the event would go a long way in creating networking sessions for bakers and their partners including financiers. She explained that her vision was to see the baking industry growing beyond its current state.
"This event also provides an opportunity for sellers of bakery equipment, cake decorating goods and products to showcase/display their products in stalls, and forge relationships with other industry professionals, as well as journalists and consumers who are other bakers," she said.
"The hope is to bring local bakers under one roof for the very first time ever to share experiences, which could inspire new ideas and perspectives to business, be motivated by being with like-minded people which can push bakers towards next business ventures, creation of relationships which can help one be up to date with the latest trends and developments in the industry and learn more about other bakers’ journeys together with the challenges they faced and how they overcame them which can give an opportunity to understand or even avoid some of the most common challenges experienced in the industry," she added. Furthermore, she explained that when she started baking years ago, most of the equipment used for baking and cake decoration were bought online or in South Africa but nowadays local shops sell and supply the items.
According to Lenyatso, Len's Bakeries started in Lobatse in 2013, before relocating to Gaborone in 2016.
They specialise in baking cakes, cupcakes, scones, mapakiwa and manufacturing of butter cream. Len Bakeries also introduced four products from indigenous agricultural products which are Lerotse Cake, Morula Jams, Morula Ice Tea & Morula Loaf. "Our challenges are finding facilities where we can operate. Local warehouses and kitchens are very expensive in terms of rental. This is the reason most local bakers opt to use their homes or garages to bake and sell their products.
Another challenge is shortage of packaging of our bakery and baked products. Also, consumers prefer baked goods which are freshly baked, this hence makes bakers face a unique challenge with the shelf life of their products because of the freshness factor," she said.
The Bakers Affair event is open for local bakers, media, aspiring bakers and service and or product sellers of bakery equipment and anyone who may love to be in the midst of local bakers. A standard ticket is P100 per person. Stall prices for suppliers of bakery equipment is P300.