We love hearing about women here in Bangalore who are working hard at running their own businesses and being their own bosses, and Marina from The Bread Therapy is no exception. We try out her artisanal bakes and find out more about her and what brought her and The Bread Therapy back to Bangalore and on this path.
WHAT: Handcrafted artisanal bakes
WHO: Marina Ramya from The Bread Therapy
ABOUT: This small batch, handcrafted, artisanal bakery makes their products made with high quality / organic ingredients, no preservatives or additives. What started as a mommy project after Marina quit her job to take care of her young kids turned into her making her own bread when she wasn’t satisfied with the options she found.
WHAT WE TASTED
A few members of our Vine tasting team tried a few items including the Classic Sourdough, Olive & Herb Focaccia, Cranberries & Almond Biscotti and Sandwich Loaves. The bread comes wrapped in butchers paper and twine string, which not only make for beautiful pictures, but as it turns out, taste amazing too. We’ll let the comments speak for themselves below:
“In love with Bread Therapy’s spectacular focaccia. It was pretty much the best I ever ate outside Italy. Also still marveling about her bread it was crunchy and yum and pretty much the way we (a German family) like to eat bread” – Jana
VINE PRO TIP: Opt for bread wrapped in paper not cling film so the crust stays crusty
“Bread Therapy sandwich loaves make the most delicious sandwiches. The focaccia is also the best I’ve ever had. We also tried the sandwich loaves and they’re soooo good!!! We polished off a whole loaf as a family before 8am in the morning” – Afsha
“The focaccia is delicious in flavour and texture. I’m a big fan of biscotti and this was the best I’ve ever tasted.” – Kiran
“Damn this is good focaccia!” – Tena
“WOW! This is incredible. The focaccia. So impressed.” – Aarti
ABOUT MARINA
Tell us about yourself and your background?
My journey started with banking and went to baking. After 12+ years in corporate life I decided to take a break and look after my young kids. This was a mommy project with the aim to feed my kids nutritious food rather than buy basic bread which contains unnecessary ingredients.
How did you start your business in Singapore?
I offered it to my neighbours and soon word started spreading about my bakes within the community and on social media.
What brought you to Bangalore?
I am originally from Bangalore but have lived outside the country for more than 14 years. My husband who is also an entrepreneur had to move to Bangalore for his business and so we decided to make the big move back home.
What are your plans for TBT?
Starting The Bread Therapy in Blore took me longer than I expected but that is because I am not willing to compromise on the quality of the ingredients. I have been testing for months and have only now found some really good suppliers. The plan is to start in my kitchen and bake for the Whitefield neighbourhood. The dream is to open a café at some point but for now my focus is to build clientele and maybe even hire some help to serve the neighbourhood.
What differentiates your business from the others?
I believe the ingredients I use speak for themselves. There is no compromise on the service or the products that we offer.
What are the challenges of being a woman entrepreneur in Bangalore?
As a mom-preneur, finding a balance between your passion, family and personal life is highly challenging. We feel guilty about not spending enough time with the kids, not being available for everyone.
What I have learnt so far in this journey is to be organised and disciplined about my time. This helps me carve out hours in the evening for family and at least a day a week for me to meet my friends and recharge. Easier said than done though, it was a slow process of discovering how to do it, but is fully worth it.
Other challenges in my line of work include just day-to-day operating in what is a male-dominated industry. Sourcing the best ingredients means being willing to travel to remote stockyards, negotiating with seasoned distributors etc. Would have never imagined I’d enjoy being this far out of my comfort zone, the process of making a business work is just personally enriching.
HOW TO ORDER
Website
+919845847975
