Who in the world doesn’t love cake? It’s an undeniable indulgence which is hard to resist especially for people with a sweet tooth. The creamy swirls of icing, the colourful spongy textures and the sugary flavours result in moments of delight for us, but for some people, it inspires an opportunity to be creative. Angela Matroos is one such person who saw baking as a pastime until she decided to turn the delicious creations into a business venture. She is now the co-founder of Cakes and BakesÔÇöa baking company that she describes as a maker of ‘edible art’.
From mini bite cupcakes to car shaped cakes, Cakes and Bakes is in the business of creating anything that has a burst of pastry sweetness. Explaining her journey into bakery as unexpected, Matroos said she did not think her hobby would become a serious enterprise. “The seed was planted when I visited my boyfriend at his parents’ home. His mother was running an event and catering business in Bokspits and I would find her baking and would help,” said Matroos, who has since partnered with Trudie. “We plan on employing and training staff in the near future,” she added.
In order to fulfill her creative thirst that was sparked by her love for baking, she decided to take a leap of faith to manifest her passion into a business. “I quit my job where I was interning following my graduation from the University of Namibia and I decided to follow my heart. My parents were a bit reluctant at first but they supported me and I started baking for family and friends. I was frustrated in my work field and it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” stated Matroos.
She detailed the creative process behind some of the complex ideas clients have for cakes: “This involves a lot of planning and plenty of practice and consultation with my partner. We sit down with each order and figure out how best to achieve the end product. In incidences where the design seems a bit too complex to figure out, Google has been an amazing resource. I love to be challenged, especially creatively. That feeling of achievement and satisfaction after successfully completing a design you wouldn’t initially have felt capable of making is priceless,” she delighted.
When asked about the challenges she faces, she lamented on the continuing electricity problem that plagues the country. “At the moment the greatest challenge is the power situation. We have had incidences where the power cuts while baking and it acts as a huge setback,” said the 24-year-old entrepreneur. She further explained that due to the growing number of local cake businesses, it is not easy to break into the market, “To stick out, you need to be able to offer your client something different, to go that extra mile and pay attention to the quality they expect. Our work always speaks for itself and we do the best within an affordable budget,” she said.
On their current projects, Angela mentioned that they are busy with Mother’s day packages at the moment. She also added that they plan on offering something similar for Father’s day next month. During the upcoming Khawa Dune Challenge expedition, their pilot pop-up shop will be set up for attendees to indulge in their delicious treats and are hopeful that the experience will gain their growing business exposure, recognition and more clientele. “Batswana should always support budding entrepreneurs. In a country experiencing high unemployment, it is vital for us to create opportunities for ourselves,” stated Matroos.
Cakes and Bakes create edible art in the form of cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, cookies for events such as bridal and baby showers, weddings, parties, corporate events and conferences.
For bookings, their Facebook page is cakes and bakes and they can be contacted on their email [email protected] or their number 73334554.
