Cynthia Thanda
If you find yourself craving something sweet then join the PanAfrikanist in visiting Mellow’s Treats, a home-based bakery business based in Tlokweng.
Mellow’s Treats makes brownies, mini cakes, cupcakes, and cookies and also makes deliveries to Gaborone.
Jannet Dlamini, a 23-year-old University of Botswana real estate student, doing her final year come August and the owner of Mellow’s Treats was delighted to share her passion for baking.
She developed a love for baking at senior school and has since focused on improving her skills in the art through YouTube videos and other bakers’ websites.
In 2020 she started selling her products to family and friends but never got enough confidence to sell them to a bigger population until February 2021 when she started Mellow’s Treats.
The business was inspired by her passion for making something tasty and when she realised the difficulty in finding certain ingredients locally, she resorted to using substitutes while producing the same tasty treats that people love.
She also caters to people with allergies and diet restrictions like eggs and lactose.
The challenges Jannet has faced are lack of sales due to the Covid pandemic as well as lack of supplies like packaging and equipment to expand the business.
In addition, being a student means she can’t afford a bigger kitchen from where to do her orders so she uses a small one that she shares with friends.
Lack of funding institutions that cater to government-sponsored students is also a challenge. However, Jannet’s passion and hard work make it possible for her to thrive and make ends meet in her business.
One thing Jannet is proud of is her ability to increase her market base. She started by selling her products to students on campus.
Now she has orders coming from everywhere in the city and it was all thanks to improving her marketing strategies and implementing them well through self-education.
“I am a part-time baker due to my full-time schooling but I hope to bake full time once I am done with University”, Jannet said.
She currently has no company but hopes to register one as soon as funds permit. Mellow’s Treats is not yet a registered SME and Jannet is not only the founder but also the sole employee.
Facebook: Mellow’s Treats
(@mellowtreats.info19)
WhatsApp: +267 72642143
Instagram: @mellows_treats_bw
