Walk into a Theobroma outlet, in Colaba (Mumbai) or Pune, and you will find the fresh aroma of cocoa and brownies wafting through the air. And once you dig into the rich brownies, you cannot hold yourself back. Irresistibly good!
But how many of you know that these heavenly pieces of brownie originated in 2004 in a small kitchen in Colaba, on a neighbour’s request? There are so many instances from the journey of Theobroma that even a true-blue fan isn’t aware of. To share their sweet success, founders Kainaz and Tina Messman recently released their book Baking a Dream which is the story of a ‘food obsessed’ family that made their culinary dreams come true.
The sisters tell the story of how their ambitious and slightly eccentric Parsi family grew a home-catering business into a multi-million dollar venture. From a single café with just four tables, Theobroma, today, has expanded into a chain of 50 outlets across the country.
A guide for other entrepreneurs
Sharing their stumbles and successes, the Messman sisters offer a no-holds-barred look at the challenges of working with family and offer tips on how to turn a passion for baking into a profitable career. The book also serves as a guide for other entrepreneurs looking to scale their ventures.
A gifted baker, Kainaz says that a few years ago she was approached by a small publisher and asked if she would like to write her story. She fell in love with the idea and wanted to make it happen ever since. However, it was only after a few years that the book Baking a Dream was published and released by HarperCollins India. “Through the book we wanted to document our journey for our children to read, and we also hope that it will be enjoyable and helpful for our readers,” says Kainaz.
If you read it, you will realise that Kainaz became a chef by choice but it was her family that turned her into an entrepreneur. “Theobroma is a family business and a joint effort. Even though I am the face of Theobroma, my family has worked endlessly to start, build and grow it, to bring it to where we are today. We have a big team that works together to keep our shelves full and serve our guests; my family and staff have played a very big part in this,” she explains.
Kainaz is very close to her sister Tina, and even though she lives in London and is physically away from the action, Tina is always connected with the phone and mail. “She has been my support and helped me grow this business. She shares my workload and that allows me to juggle my life and work, and manage the many demands on my time,” says Kainaz. Tina urged Kainaz to start the business and forced her to grow it and is always pushing her to do more.
Classics never fade
Theobroma has a list of old-fashioned classic desserts which are a hit with all. However, there was a time when Kainaz did a modern interpretation of the Black Forest, but it had no takers. “It had a chocolate-almond sponge, a vanilla-bean mousse, shards of chocolate and cherries. It was spray painted white and looked very funky. All the flavours were the same, but it did not win our guests over,” she says. Even though she loved the look of it she was sad to see it go.
“My staff were relieved though, as it was time consuming and laborious compared to the simple Black Forest that we have grown up on,” quips Kainaz. She points out that their traditional classic products outsell everything modern.
There’s a chapter in the book called ‘We Are Sorry’. Kainaz says that on a few occasions, they have failed to deliver to the satisfaction of their guests. “When we are asked to make something for any special celebration, there is no room for error. For the times when we have let someone down, we are truly and genuinely sorry. It is never our intention to disappoint our guests, sometimes we can make amends, at other times if the moment has passed, we can only apologise. We had to learn from our mistakes,” she explains.
Flying high
When the Messman sisters started off, they were not sure if they would be able to recover the initial investment. “We agreed to make the foods we liked to eat, so we had no plan to create a chain and we were unprepared for the retail business,” says Kainaz. They knew how to make cakes, but little else and Theobroma became a success that they could not have even dared to dream of. “We have been incredibly lucky, and we are eternally grateful,” shares Kainaz.
When asked what’s in store for the bakery, she says, “We are now PE funded, our investors have put their faith in our plans to grow and take our products to an even wider audience. We are in Mumbai-Pune and Delhi NCR at the moment and plan to open in Hyderabad and Bengaluru in 2020,” concludes Kainaz
