Ever questioned what it will be prefer to eat a rose? Not simply any rose, however a scrumptious, edible one? Now, think about a present that mixes the great thing about flowers with the sweetness of dessert. In a world of predictable presents, some transcend the atypical, creating experiences that make each event really memorable.
For Shreenal and Rupal Badiani, a Mumbai-based mother-daughter duo, the hunt to create a really memorable reward led them to introduce a surprising fusion of flowers and desserts that has captured the hearts of many, together with celebrities.
“I wished to provide extra than simply flowers. Flowers can generally really feel a bit redundant, so including meals appeared like the proper approach to create one thing particular,” says Shreenal.
“It began as one thing enjoyable between a mom and daughter,” says Rupal, 58, who has spent over three a long time managing an occasion decor manufacturing firm. Initially beginning as a small-scale artistic experiment of their residence kitchen, the concept swiftly grew into Baked Bouquets — a blooming enterprise, attracting rising consideration from clients all through the colourful metropolis.
Shreenal’s academic journey started with a grasp’s in Pharmacy from the UK, adopted by an MBA. And it was her time within the UK that gave delivery to a brand new artistic route for her. Impressed by the distinctive gifting tradition she skilled overseas, she started to rethink how gifting could possibly be reimagined in India.
“I used to see the idea of baked bouquets within the UK and was fully fascinated by it. The thought of mixing edible artwork with the great thing about flowers actually caught with me. It acquired me pondering, why not deliver one thing like this to my hometown? After I was again, I mentioned this concept with my mother and she or he was equally ,” she remembers.
Venturing into entrepreneurship
Drawing on her ardour for creativity, inherited from her mom, Shreenal began exploring methods to deliver collectively her love for aesthetic magnificence and scrumptious treats.
“My mom and I didn’t come from a baking background, however we learnt so much by way of analysis and trials,” the 31-year-old shares. The mother-daughter duo began by creating an Instagram web page to market their distinctive cupcake bouquets. “Initially, it was very troublesome to handle the whole lot like baking, packing, after which delivering, all on our personal. However we did it fortunately as a result of it was enjoyable,” she provides.
Baked Bouquets began in 2019 by providing cupcake bouquets to family and friends. Initially, the duo began out from their residence kitchen and labored on the baking course of by turns. Whereas Shreenal took cost of social media advertising on Instagram and Fb, to get the phrase out about their artistic enterprise, Rupal managed the essential behind-the-scenes duties like amassing recent flowers and taking care of the packaging and deliveries.
“We learnt the buttercream piping approach by way of trial and error,” says Shreenal. “It wasn’t one thing we knew instantly, however we stored experimenting till we might create cupcakes that seemed like actual flowers — roses, carnations, and chrysanthemums. The method was all about perfecting the approach to verify the cupcakes didn’t simply style good but additionally seemed like they belonged in a phenomenal bouquet. It was quite a lot of testing and tweaking, however as soon as we acquired it proper, it turned the guts of what we do.”
The constructive response they acquired gave them the encouragement and confidence to take their concept to the following degree.
Turning challenges into alternatives
Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a big setback. “With restrictions in place, we have been pressured to pause our operations in 2020. However as a substitute of giving up, we discovered a approach to push by way of. By 2022, we fully revamped our enterprise. We moved from our residence kitchen to a small house in my father’s workplace, to cater to a rising variety of clients and increase our enterprise,” explains Shreenal.
“We ship throughout Mumbai on our personal as a result of we don’t belief third-party supply companies with delicate gadgets,” she provides.
“In 2023, as our enterprise began gaining vital consideration, we knew it was time to increase,” says Shreenal. “We moved to a bigger house in Santacruz East to construct an even bigger kitchen that might cater to the rising demand. We additionally shaped a devoted staff that handles the whole lot from packaging to doorstep supply, guaranteeing that every order is rigorously ready and arrives in excellent situation. Alongside this, we started planning the launch of our e-commerce web site to achieve a wider viewers and streamline the ordering course of.”
Their dedication paid off, with Baked Bouquets changing into a success amongst clients who have been on the lookout for one thing greater than the standard reward. Celebrities like Neha Dhupia, Sonam Kapoor, Nushrratt Bharuccha, and Aditi Rao Hydari have ordered their creations, bringing much more consideration to the model. “We’ve acquired constructive suggestions from celebrities,” says the younger entrepreneur.
Increasing enterprise
In the present day, their distinctive gifting enterprise has expanded past cupcake bouquets, providing a variety of treats to fulfil totally different wants. From macarons and cookie bouquets to tarts and fruit bouquets, every merchandise is rigorously crafted to enhance the flowers in a visually gorgeous association.
“In the beginning, we used to make all the choices collectively, however as we acquired extra orders and enquiries, we realised the necessity to divide duties to scale up,” shares Rupal. “I’ve at all times been captivated with flowers and have a background in botany, so it’s really fulfilling to mix my love for them with one thing candy.”
“Whereas Shreenal manages analysis, funds, and digital advertising, I give attention to procuring recent flowers like roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, and so forth, day-after-day. I additionally oversee our staff of 12 members and ensure all of the orders are dispatched on time. We complement one another completely, and our talent units have been instrumental in serving to Baked Bouquets develop right into a profitable enterprise,” Rupal says with satisfaction.
Priya Tiwari, the pinnacle chef says, “After I first joined the enterprise, I wasn’t positive if I’d have the ability to keep long-term. However these preliminary doubts rapidly pale as I discovered myself having fun with each second of it. Whereas I at all times knew I had the chance to be artistic with meals, this place has helped me develop in methods I by no means anticipated. It has not solely made me a greater chef however has additionally instilled in me a drive for perfection in the whole lot I do. I’ve been capable of develop at my very own tempo, with the liberty to experiment and discover concepts that work out very well.”
Overcoming hurdles
Rising the enterprise was not straightforward and the duo encountered quite a few challenges alongside the way in which. “One of many greatest hurdles we confronted was making use of for a mortgage to buy a van for deliveries. I needed to contain each my father and husband as guarantors to get the mortgage permitted,” shares Shreenal.
One other vital impediment got here after they confronted a significant setback with one among their distributors throughout the preliminary days. “We had a problem with packaging the place we positioned an order with a vendor who tousled the manufacturing after which disappeared, refusing to select up calls. For a small enterprise simply beginning, this was an enormous blow,” she provides. “It was an actual studying curve for us. We realised that we would have liked to have strict vendor contracts in place to forestall this from occurring once more.”
The mother-daughter duo’s deep bond and shared imaginative and prescient have been on the coronary heart of the enterprise’s success. “We don’t intrude with one another’s work, and that offers us the house to develop,” says Rupal. “I’ve learnt so much from my mom. I didn’t know the way artistic I used to be. I at all times thought I used to be a science-oriented individual, however I realised there’s a artistic facet that ought to be explored,” provides her daughter.
Trying to the longer term, the entrepreneurs are targeted on increasing Baked Bouquets past Mumbai. “We wish to develop slowly, however steadily. Our objective is to take our baked bouquets to totally different cities and let extra folks expertise our creations,” says Shreenal. “Finally, we hope to develop our enterprise as a franchise,” concludes Rupal.
Edited by Arunava Banerjee; All photos courtesy Shreenal Badiani
