Everything I dough, I dough it for you

Baking as a career is very different to baking as a hobby. Business plans are needed and it’s not all plain sailing.

Kais Suhail is a budding entrepreneur and the owner of The French Talk bakery. He has lived in Delhi and Dubai for his entire life and found love of baking when he was just a child. Kashmir Business Voice catches up with him to find out more about his foray into French Pastry and desserts business, and the challenges he has faced so far.

Why did you decide to be an entrepreneur and foray into the bakery business?

I grew up in a family with a business background. Most of my family, in India and abroad, are in the handicrafts and restaurant businesses. Following my father’s footsteps, I also wanted to follow my passion and work on my own terms and be in control of my time.

Since childhood, I had a passion for baking, and at that time we lived in Delhi. I often watched my mother baking tasty pancakes and often wondered how she kneads the dough, how the ingredients behave, and the processes behind it.

When I graduated from school, and it was time to decide what I want to be in life, the decision came by itself – I decided to go to a culinary college and become a certified Chef. It was in college that I realized that desserts can be an excellent medium to show my creative side, I could create and create drawings and compositions, but only on a plate. This is how “The French Talk” bakery was born.

Tell us more about your bakery and its French connection?

French pastry and desserts are a tradition that goes back hundreds of years and many of the long-standing products have cemented their place world over as staple delicacies. Due to dearth of good authentic French bakeries in Kashmir, we established “The French Talk” in Srinagar last year in 2022 for consumers – local and international tourists – who are keen to enjoy the delights of French pastries and desserts without impacting their health goals that have taken a forefront in recent years.

The name French talk in the very literal sense means communicating the authentic French language through our lovely delicacies.

How has been the response from the market so far?

The response from our target audience has been very overwhelming in the most positive way! I can vouch for the fact that we have created our own niche.

What are the challenges that you have faced since inception?

The ingredients that we use for making our products are of the best quality and imported directly from France and Belgium. Sometimes, receiving them on time is a challenge but our team is now more proficient in demand forecasting and ironing out the blemishes, if any, that may arise in the supply chain from time to time.

Initially, getting high footfall at our outlet was also a challenge as our prices are premium, but gradually as customers started trying our desserts, they really liked it and understood that higher quality desserts have a better taste.

How did you go about marketing your bakery?

Since our entire business depends on customers knowing about what we do, and creating a loyal customer base with people coming back for every order they have, we have to be really proactive about our marketing techniques. This is one thing that we really cannot clack off on.

We have to make sure that our target audience stays engaged with us and interested in the products that we create. We stay active on social media platforms and post high-quality pictures of the things that we make and sell, we have fun promotions that get people excited to buy more of our products, and we do special desserts for every holiday, so people have somewhere to go for their party needs.

What are the emerging trends shaping the new future of bakery businesses in Srinagar?

Currently, two trends are forcing businesses in the food industry to reposition themselves. Earlier people used to like food because it tasted good. Nowadays, consumers are worried about what they eat, and transparency is required along the whole value chain. Consumers now go for brands that guarantee healthy ingredients. This has worked in our favour because at The French Talk, we have always put an emphasis on using only the best raw materials. The second trend shaping our future is digitalization. We see today’s millennials using food delivery services in a big way. Watching them interact with this technology teaches us about how our future consumers will think and act.

Any advice for the generation of your age?

Do not be afraid to try and make your ideas come to life and into something that everyone can enjoy and benefit from. For those who are thinking to open their bakery in Kashmir I would advise to try and use premium ingredients, invest in good staff, good machinery, maintain hygiene and innovate as much as possible!