Interview- The Pouff

Greetings! I know I am being silent from a long time. Got busy with the life and rest goes.

Now, I am again back Introducing another Woman entrepreneur Imrah Reyaz, who bought unique confectionery treats from traditions and lot of experience from three generations. and says “its important to always be passionate about the business you are intending on starting” .

AT: Akatma Times          IR: Imrah Reyaz

AT: Hello Imrah! Welcome to Akatma Times!  Can you share with us a few words about yourself. Your childhood, schooling, you being other than a baker?  

IR : Since I’m from Sri Lanka, I first schooled there and then we moved to Bangalore. We’ve been here for almost ten years now so I went to high school in Bangalore and after that I went to Malaysia for my degree. Baking has always played a big role in my life in the sense that as a child, baked goods and sweets always surrounded me since these play a big role in festivals and celebrations in Sri Lanka. Even in our day to day lives, we used to have tea every evening and the tea table would always have some type of baked good be it sweet or savory. But when we came to India and then again when I went to Malaysia, I became extremely involved in community development so I did my degree in international studies and my thesis on development and slums. Other than a baker I’ve been working in international aid and development as an intern with Oxfam and the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees and developed a volunteer program on campus.

AT: We would like to hear the story of The Pouff and the story of Imrah as an entreprenuer ?

IR: I started The Pouff with my mother once I got back from Malaysia after finishing my degree. Confectionery stores and gourmet bakeries are very popular there and there are so many independent bakeries and chains that are very urban and whose products are very good. When I got back, I found it very difficult to find similar products in Bangalore. Given that my mom has extensive training and experience in baking and so does my sister in law and also the fact that over three generations of my family have been baking, we decided to use our traditional recipes and add some new ones and that was how The Pouff began.  I also trained under my mom when I was young and I taught myself how to make certain products. We wanted to make baked goods that we’d love to eat and they just happened to be the things that other people love to eat too. How The Pouff came to be was pretty organic the whole thing. It started off with my mom and I doing a lot of product testing after which I set up a blog and we attended flea markets in Bangalore to promote the brand and now it’s becoming a lot more vibrant.

AT: What will be your recommendation to take away from The Pouff for your first time customer?

IR: Hahahaha I get asked this a lot at flea markets and it really depends on what the customer’s tastes are. Broadly though I’d recommend our mini tarts, cakes and Macarons. We’ve got stellar reviews from 99% of our customers for those products.

AT: “Customer is GOD” What challenges you face in day to day building of business?

IR: The whole notion of customer as god can be quite challenging but luckily we have only had a few difficult customers. Most of our customers are a great pleasure to deal. With those that are difficult we try our best to accommodate their requirements but if we absolutely cannot cater to their requirements then we just let them know. I wouldn’t say our customers are our biggest challenge. The main challenges we face is building awareness of our products. We make a lot of things that aren’t very familiar to the average person so getting people to identify with some of our product categories can be quite challenging.

AT: As we see, there is a huge competition in this niche. How are you handling the Situation? Where you would like to see The Pouff in future?  

IR: Well yes there is a lot of competition but our products are different and we focus on unique products that not a lot of other people are making and I think that’s what makes us stand apart. In the future I’d like to see The Pouff have its own stores.

AT: There any “Oh My GOD Save me” experiences? Share with us.

IR: Hahaha in the baking those kinds of experiences are never a rarity. This one time we were putting up a stall at a flea market my mom, sister in law and I were up till 4 am still baking even after three days of continuous prep and we had to leave home at 8 am to set up on time and that ranks right on top of the Oh My GOD Save me experiences. Luckily we managed to finish all the products we’d wanted to make even though we got no sleep that day. It was extremely worth it though because the stall was a big success.  

AT: Every happy customer makes your DAY. Any great experience to share with us?

IR: Having happy customers and receiving reviews on our products is one of the best parts of what we do. So much of work and care goes into everything we make that its extremely rewarding when customers enjoy our products. This one time we had a customer who bought some of our petit cupcakes and came and told us that it’s the best she’s ever had. Then she got some more. And this other time, one of our customers ordered marshmallows, mini tarts, cookies and chocolate fudge squares for his daughter’s birthday. He called back later that day and said that everything was extremely good and ended the conversation saying that he’s eaten a lot of chicken tarts but ours has been the best.

Thank You very much Imrah for spending your time in being part of my blog.

Wishing you all the very best Wishing to see lot more varieties and tastes.

 Have  a Happy Baking always!  J

Currently they are operating from Bangalore, India and feature confectionery delights that are rare, if not unavailable in the city.

Things to look out for:

* Our variety of macarons in classic, pistachio, grape, watermelon, chocolate... the options are limitless

* Gourmet petit and large cupcakes in a variety of flavours
* Our specialty cakes
* Marshmallows in classic, vanilla, almond, pistachio, rose and coffee flavours
* Éclairs, cake pops, brownies, muffins and cream puffs.

From a birthday Party, a gathering, to Big day celebrations in your life you know where to go. Yes! The Pouff, Serving a different kind of sweetness in life.

           Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/ThePouff

             Blog:  http://thepouff.blogspot.in

            email: thepouff@gmail.com