A community bakery provides economic opportunities for families and increases local production
14 March 2024
"We bake bread so people can enjoy it every day."
In 2021, a group of women opened a bakery in Kumaka, located in region 1, with the support of the Hinterland Environmentally Sustainable Agricultural Development Project (HESAD), funded by the United Nation's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Rachel Francis, who heads the group, shared that the community used to receive fresh bread from Georgetown only on Mondays and Fridays. They turned necessity into opportunity and saw the potential to create a small business. HESAD supported the construction and furnishing of this small enterprise. "Now, we bake bread so people can enjoy it every day," she stated.
They bake a variety of breads, buns, butter flaps, and tennis rolls. They typically sell around 200 units of bread in a regular week, but sometimes they have wholesale customers, which increases sales.
Before starting the business, the women were focused on household activities. Now, they manage a small business that provides income for their families directly and contributes to the local economy through their suppliers, while serving fresh bread to the community every day.