In this series, we talk to people who turned their passion for food and baking into a business idea amidst lockdown and COVID-19 fears. Some have been in the market for years and others saw the new opportunity and took it! These home businesses are changing the game and have overcome the odds of running a business during quarantine. With increased restrictions once more, we talk to home bakers who are operating during these times to bring deliver the sweet and savoury to your very own doorstep! 

 

 

For baker Zuhara Faj – dessert is everything. With a strong passion for baking since she was very young, it seemed only natural for her to start her own dessert business. And while The Brownie Jar offers cakes and cupcakes, her signature sweet item is her brownies!

 

 

- We offer brownie products mainly and we do a few cakes and cupcakes here and there as well. We sell assorted brownies and brownie cakes as well as individual brownie jars which we started recently. One of our best sellers would be the Assorted Brownie since everyone gets to taste a bit of everything in it. When it comes to my signature dish, I think I’d say it’s the Cookie Monster brownies since I bake the choc chip cookies at home. So, it's freshly baked when the customer gets it and it goes very well with the name!

 

- I was in operation before the pandemic. I started exactly a year ago. Once the covid-19 started, it was quite hard to run the operations especially because it was sudden and I had to almost pause for a while till everything gets back to normal. However, during this time, I had enough and more time to properly plan my brownie jar page and even find places where I can get baking stuff online since we could not physically go into a store and buy. I’d say I had plenty of time to plan and do my research on how I can get going with my brownie business during a curfew.

 

 

- It was hectic, to be honest. Especially when it comes to deliveries. Since most of the delivery companies were closed due to lockdown, I had to turn down a lot of customers at that moment. But once the curfew was relaxed, I was able to find a few companies that did deliveries during curfew and I made sure that I accepted only a very limited number of orders as well. 

 

- Maintaining proper hygiene during preparation is a top priority. So, I make sure that every single baking item that has been brought from online are properly cleaned and even during preparations I wash my hands a million times! I also make sure to wear gloves when assembling the brownies as well. 

 

 

- I think I am handling it much better this time around after the first lockdown was imposed because back then I was clueless as to how to get all the items. Now since I know exactly where to get my baking items and how to manage all the operation at a time like this, I think I am handling it quite well. 

 

- Owning a little home business has always been my dream. Since I had a passion for baking, I thought I’ll open up a small business and see how it goes. I mean there were ups and downs but I handled it quite well. I love desserts and I don’t think I’ll ever get fed up of baking and whipping things up in the kitchen. I’d say it gives me peace of mind and it’s my happy place. Operating my own business was a bit hard at the beginning, to be honest, since it was my first time. But as time went by, I knew exactly what to do and I had a little bit of help from my sisters as well.

 

 

- I think covid-19 had a huge impact on almost everyone. Because this time our whole lifestyle changed and we became even more conscious of our health as well. Since a lot of people had to give up going out during the pandemic and most people preferred online shopping, a lot of people preferred buying from home business owners and this made us get a lot of customers. I even had the chance to re-launch my business during this time! 

 

- I saw a lot of people literally turning into MasterChefs during the time and it was nice to see people putting out their skills and talents and starting their own home business in order to help each other during times like this and it also boosts their confidence at the same time and helps them to face new challenges and learn things as well. 

 

 

- Firstly, you have to make sure you do enough and more research before you start up a home business. It’s always best to plan ahead on how exactly you are going to start up the business. You have to think of the product you are going to launch and what more you can do to make your product more interesting. What’s a business without some ups and down? We should always learn from the feedback we get to make our product much better and to serve better. 

 

The Brownie Jar takes pre-orders via Instagram (@browniejar). They accept bank transfers and cash on delivery. They are also available on ‘Zap it’ and EatMe Global’ apps offering individual brownie jars.