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Online cake delivery in Jeddah

Fatafeet Bakehouse: New addition to the Jeddah food scene

July 29, 2017

Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

With more local eateries joining delivery apps everyday, all we need is for bakeries to do the same. If you can’t drive to your favorite bakery when the cravings strike, you start looking for anything that delivers. Unfortunately not a lot of bakeries show up and nor does your cake. Luckily Khalida Al-Sulaiman and Abdulrazzak Taylor realized there’s a huge gap in the market and decided to fill it. Still in its infancy, the menu is restricted but the delivery, gluten-free chocolate cake and cookies are addictive proving that the duo are in it for the long run. We got in touch with Khalida to find out more about the new Fatafeet Bakehouse.

SG: Tell us about yourselves and how you formed Fatafeet Bakehouse.

KAS: In 2011 I completed The Pâtisserie and Baking Program at Le Cordon Bleu. While I was attending culinary school I was fortunate to work at The Four Seasons as their pastry intern. After that I worked for Paul Maison De Qualite for almost three years, here in Jeddah. I also got to work for a high-end restaurant in California.

Fatafeet kind of just happened. I wanted to start building recipes that had a great balance, and so I focused on creating airy textures while maintaining a great flavor depth. Everything I make is hand-made from scratch, using the best ingredients, and I never use additives or food coloring.

I met Abdulrazzak in 2015 who happened to be a great developer with a strong backbone for inventing and executing great entrepreneurship flair. We felt inspired by each other and bounced ideas around. Naturally we combined and made use of the skill set we have. He developed the website and everything took off from there.

SG: Finally someone filled the gap in the market- is that what drove you to it or what’s the concept all about?

KAS: Being an online business gives us many benefits and helps in building it the right way. We get to have an insight of customer behavior by means of what products they visit the most, what products are most ordered, and so on. Another big advantage is that we cut down on cost of maintaining a shop. It also gives us an eagle eye view of the business and highlights which areas we should concentrate in growing. We are aiming to keep it online until it builds itself and we feel a need to open a store. The vision behind Fatafeet Bakehouse is providing light, fresh, and delicious treats while having an exceptional service.

SG: Do you plan to keep it as on online store? What are the advantages of being an online service as opposed to the latter for you?

KAS: At the moment we have no plans of opening a storefront, we see no need for it, we believe you can have a successful totally functional business running completely online. Our focus is always pointed towards our services. Our next step will be to better our supply chain and start same day delivery. We want to perfect our e-commerce business and be known as an online business. I don’t believe that in today’s world you require a storefront to succeed, but will hopefully open a commercial kitchen/pick-up shop for customers who would prefer to pick up their own goodies.

SG: So far there are three choices, a gluten free chocolate cake, assortment of cookies and apple crumble- tell us more about the choices. Do you plan to expand and what’s coming up next?

KAS: I tend to be a bit critical on myself, and find it quite difficult to say ‘this is it’ and believe the product is good enough to add to my menu. I always want to keep working on the product and make it better. I do plan on adding more products, hopefully adding one this week and hopefully grow the menu into something unique.

SG: How does it work? Who makes them and is it an out-of-home business?

KAS: Currently I am working out of my home. It reduces cost and is helping me to have ability to reinvest every Riyal I make back into growing Fatafeet. I bake them personally and have a driver to deliver the products. We currently offer only one service, which is next-day delivery. The customer chooses the product or more from our menu and we deliver it the next day depending on what time they choose. Our system automatically saves the customer information they provide; including location, to help get the delivery to them smoothly.

SG: How important is this segment to the Saudi food industry? And what do you think of it’s development in the last decade?

KAS: During the last few years, there has been an undeniable boom within the food industry. Education within the field has risen, new concepts emerged, and there has been much media attention. It is wonderful to see that Saudi Arabia is adapting hype towards the food industry in its own way. I think in the next few years we will be seeing even more local food businesses spreading around the country instead of additional international franchises. Local brands require more effort because everything is being built up from scratch. Therefore, people would need to obtain a deeper knowledge and heart towards their work, and that always leads to a bigger impact.

SG: Can you tell our readers why they should choose Fatafeet?

KAS: Because it’s delicious! Jokes aside, our brand focuses on providing an exceptional and convenient service. You get to order Fatafeet from the comfort of your home and receive freshly baked products to your doorstep. Each one of our products is unique and handpicked. The treats that we serve are all light, fresh, and taste scrumptiously good. We create lightness by using certain baking techniques and ingredients. All of our products are made from scratch using the best ingredients, and we would never use any additives or food coloring. We will be adding goodies, promotions, and new services in the near future so stay tuned.

Order online at www.fatafeetbakehouse.com


July 29, 2017
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