Online custom-baking has been increasing in Egypt, thanks to Facebook and other social-networking sites, says Aya Sayed With all the discussion of Facebook as a tool able to gather people together around common aims and as a catalyst of the Egyptian revolution, there has also been increasing interest in the social-networking site as a business platform to help reduce the unemployment rate in Egypt. "When I was a little child, my father used to bake us special cakes that I fell in love with," says Yomna Sherif, today the owner of a Facebook bakery page cakesomania. Her online baking business started out when she was out of work for a few months, and she saw an opening for a Facebook-hosted baking service. "At first, my baking was for family and friends. Then it progressed to friends of friends, and then it spread through word of mouth." Today, Yomna is a full-time baker and has about 2,000 fans on Facebook who have experienced her products. "I knew about her from my cousin and through Facebook," said Niveen, an 18-year-old student who uses Yomna's baking service. Niveen drew a design for a birthday cake and sent it through the page's e-mail address to Yomna, also picking the size of the cake and the flavour. It was later delivered to her exactly as she had expected. Running a business on the Internet is not necessarily easy, however, and though Yomna prefers to work alone, Dina Cantina, another woman entrepreneur, has a team of helpers to assist her. "I've always loved cooking and being in the kitchen," Dina explains, adding that "my business started when I set up a website on which I used to post recipes and ideas for people who also like cooking." Dina decided to start a Facebook page when clients told her that it would be easier for them to use the site when ordering products. "It was all part of a long-term plan that ended in my having my own store and company," she explains. For her, having almost 10,000 fans on Facebook who love her custom-made cakes is one of many rewards. Nineteen-year-old Taghreed disagrees with those who might think it's too risky to order a cake on the Internet, since it could arrive not quite as one envisaged it. "I prefer to design my own cake than to buy one at a regular store, and the Internet allows me to do just that," she says. Internet cakes are also often more affordable. "Their prices are like those in the stores, and if they are a bit more expensive it is only because of all the extra decoration and artwork." Taghreed has always been satisfied with every product she has ordered, and she would recommend the sites to anyone looking for custom-made cakes. Ordering a custom-made cake from the Internet is straightforward. Customers call the number on the Facebook page and ask for a cake to be made to their specification. Some sites include a wait of from three to five days, while others ask for five to seven days, according to the design and size of the cake. "The work is usually quite complicated for birthday cakes and more affordable for regular ones. The price is determined by calculating the cost of the ingredients, overheads and a small profit," Dina says. All the ingredients used are of the highest quality, she adds. Dina's business is at its busiest on special occasions and holidays. "Valentine's Day and religious holidays are when we offer special offers and discounts," she says, adding that this is possible if one orders in advance and in bulk. Making sure the customer is pleased with the result is the most important thing for her. If her production schedule will allow it, she will often take last-minute orders for hundreds of cakes. "If you give me the freedom to create a cake based on the ideas you give me, the resulting cake will be unique," Dina says. Baking special cakes based on a customer's designs is like producing an item of fashion, she adds, with the resulting cakes being masterpieces. "They are cakes that I work hard on to make sure they are among the best anywhere in terms of taste, quality and design." Payment can be a problem for some online bakers, and they do not take a deposit. However, "98 percent of customers are serious about their orders, and only around two per cent cancel or don't collect their cakes," Dina says. To solve any such problems, she delivers her goods herself instead of asking the customer to go and pick them up. "It's easier this way, as many people could have a problem picking up orders at a place they don't know." The custom-baking industry is now at its peak, Dina says, adding that just a few years ago the industry was almost unknown in Egypt. "It is a new form of entrepreneurism, and it serves the economy," she says, insisting that at base it nevertheless still remains what it was when it began: a network of Egyptian businesswomen who also love to bake.
