Having come from a household that loves being within the kitchen, sisters Ryea and Lekha’s fondest recollections usually contain meals in some form or type.
“Our mother and father have all the time positioned significance on utilizing entire meals and the significance of homecooked meals,” shared Ryea.
So, once they had their very own youngsters, they knew they needed to nourish them with natural meals that have been free from synthetic flavours and preservatives.
This grew to become a necessity as a result of Ryea’s son was asthmatic at the moment, and her daughter suffered from eczema.
Though natural items reminiscent of greens, fruits, cereals, and child meals have been available, Ryea and Lekha realised it was tough to seek out the common pre-sliced bread that was wholesome.
So, they delved into baking natural bread themselves, conducting weekend tasks with their youngsters, an exercise that additionally saved the younger ones occupied.
This expertise ultimately served as the inspiration for Fresco Grano Organic Bakery & Store (Fresco Grano) in 2015, with a mission to offer others with entry to inexpensive baked natural items.
The staff began out by producing and promoting wheat bread, and slowly ventured into offering gluten-free decisions as they observed a excessive demand for it.
Inside time, Fresco Grano moved into producing different wholesome breakfast and snack choices reminiscent of muffins, granola, and cookies.
A speciality bakery that responds to buyer wants
Previous to beginning Fresco Grano, Ryea labored as an accountant, having gathered expertise in each multinational and medium-sized firms for about 10 years.
Ryea now handles Fresco Grano on a full-time foundation, bringing all her abilities and experiences from her years in skilled accounting to the enterprise.
Therefore, Ryea is in command of the monetary and operational facet of issues, whereas Lekha manages their social media platforms, web site, and buyer relations.
“A few of the design work, advertising in addition to different miscellaneous jobs which might be ad-hoc in nature are outsourced,” defined Ryea.
The entire baking and packing takes place of their bakery at Sungai Buloh, with operations manned by a small however tight-knit staff of seven inside employees, consisting of three bakers and two supply personnel, apart from Ryea and Lekha themselves.
Initially, a whole lot of analysis went into growing gluten-free recipes. The staff additionally needed to create recipes that might be nut-free or vegan-friendly when obligatory.
“Some prospects even requested sugar-free choices, so we labored on creating merchandise that would reply to these wants, therefore, our repute as a speciality bakery was born,” shared Ryea.
Throughout the early levels of Fresco Grano, the flavour mixtures produced derived from the likings of households and associates.
Because the staff progressed and began gaining extra of a buyer base, they then began specializing in buyer tastes and preferences.
A most well-liked technique of theirs to accumulate suggestions is thru creating polls on social media the place they ask their followers to decide on between two flavours. The best vote could be what Fresco Grano ultimately formulates an preliminary recipe for.
“It might take as quick as a few weeks to so long as a few months to lastly launch the flavour to our prospects, as we have now to ensure the recipe works in addition to researching its shelf life and storage choices,” mentioned Ryea.
Competitors with the large manufacturers
One of many largest challenges confronted by Fresco Grano was coming into a market that had large manufacturers dominating it, ones that have been already family names.
“The principle subject material was that most individuals have been so used to consuming bread that had a sure style and texture, which was often softer and lighter than our bread,” added Ryea.
She went on to clarify that it was both the very gentle industrial bread or the a lot more durable, crusty unsliced loaf at the moment.
Therefore, the problem was to give you one thing in between, while sustaining the recipe to be free from components and preservatives.
Finally, the staff managed to decide on their present distinctive Fresco Grano recipe. They even managed to penetrate mainstream grocery shops that have been in search of natural and wholesome alternate options to be a part of their vary.
At present, Fresco Grano’s bread is accessible from sure Ben’s Impartial Grocer, Jaya Grocer, and Village Grocer retailers. They’re additionally accessible at sure speciality natural outlets, and for house supply.
“We consider the truth that we can be found in these shops that are situated in all the fundamental areas of the Klang Valley already assists us in creating model consciousness,” expressed Ryea.
Sticking to the fundamental rules
Making certain that they persist with their mission of making high quality baked items with out the usage of enhancers, components, and preservatives is how Ryea and Lekha see Fresco Grano attaining longevity.
To not point out, maintaining strict high quality management by persevering with to supply in small batches.
Shifting ahead, the siblings are hoping to participate in additional occasions as they’d completed pre-pandemic.
These embody taking part in farmers’ markets, collaborating with health and well being programmes, and organising enjoyable actions at retailer places.
They shared that they might like to conduct or be a part of well being and wellness workshops too, as cultivating wholesome and acutely aware consuming has been their focus since they began Fresco Grano.
The duo can also be hoping to make their merchandise accessible in different states past Klang Valley quickly.
- Study extra about Fresco Grano here.
- Learn different articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Fresco Grano
