Mariam Mohuideen’s Baker’s Treat, which clocks an Rs. 1 crore turnover, started small. It’s now grown into a 2,200 square feet, a restaurant in Mangalore. Karnataka’s gateway city, Mangalore or Mangaluru, is well-known for its own style of coastal food, but there is a huge sector of customers with fast-changing preferences. These are the millennials, who have been highly affected by Western foods and are driving up demand for burgers, pasta, pizzas, and cakes.

When 48-year-old Mariam Mohuideen noticed this trend in Mangalore, she decided it was time to use her baking abilities to launch her own business. She explains, “I returned to my birthplace of Mangalore from Dubai after working in administration there for several years.” When I realized there weren’t many opportunities for me here, I decided to use my baking abilities to open a café. She opened Baker’s Treat, a bakery that sells home-baked products, in December 2014. Mariam transformed Baker’s Treat into a restaurant by investing almost Rs 20 lakh in 2017. The restaurant serves cakes, cupcakes, burgers, pasta, and shakes to Mangalore’s changing taste buds.

It was partially supported by her savings and family investments. Mariam’s business is now a 19-member, 2,200-square-foot, 90-seater restaurant on Mother Teresa Road in Mangalore. It gets about 150 clients a day, most of whom come for Mariam’s Oreo Nutella cheesecakes, brownies, and cupcakes. She is overjoyed and says, “The most popular items are our Oreo Nutella cheesecake, Oreo fudge brownie, and a variety of cupcakes.” Baker’s Treat made Rs 1 million in revenue last year thanks to a steady stream of consumers. She claims that social media platforms have helped to attract Mangalore’s youth, who share their experiences online. Aside from that, word-of-mouth is really effective for us. Baker’s Treat’s food, as well as its stylish, attractive décor and cosy atmosphere, has always drawn a throng. Mariam Mohuideen has received accolades from the local community since the start of Baker’s Treat.  Baker’s Treat received the YourStory Brands of India award for Best Micro Enterprise in the Restaurant category in 2019. Mariam Mohuideen also received a Yenfame women entrepreneur award the same year. The baker is self-taught. Baker’s Treat enjoys a nearly cult-like reputation in the Mangalore market under Mariam’s leadership. Mariam adds that, in addition to consumers from cheerful neighbourhoods, frequent orders are placed from communities around the city. She explains that there are days when visitors from other countries, such as the United States and Dubai, arrive with orders for their favourite cakes. Mariam, a self-taught baker, has also given culinary lessons to over 600 individuals since 2013. Despite the presence of millennials, Mariam believes Mangalore is not used to new experiences. Scaling up to reach more consumers is risky to her, so she wants to do it slowly. Outsiders to Mangalore have embraced Baker’s Treat more quickly, therefore I don’t want to grow right away. Expansion is still on the table, albeit at a later time, and Mariam is eyeing the adjacent town of Manipal.