Inside the kitchens of Mohamed Raouf Hizi’s bakery, we discover a hive of activity. It’s noon and a team of female pastry chefs is busy preparing orders that must be delivered in the afternoon. Behind the counter Mohamed Raouf’s wife and another employee are serving a steady stream of customers.
Located strategically on the main street of Kasserine downtown, Mr le Gourmand is always crowded with people. The bakery serves traditional cakes and sweet pies that have become hugely popular with the local community and passing travellers.
An entrepreneur at heart, launching the bakery was not Mohamed Raouf’s first attempt at business ownership. After graduating in Finance and Financial Engineering from the ESC (Ecole Supérieure de Commerce), he moved to Tunis in 2005. There, he gained strong work experience as a sales manager, security manager and co-manager. He launched several microprojects, including an interim company for cleaning and security, that enhanced his skills and also his entrepreneurial profile.
Despite success, Mohamed Raouf’s heart remained in Kasserine. In 2015, he returned to his hometown and launched The Information Hotel, a consulting office specialized in training, coaching and support in the development of business plans. In parallel he also engaged in volunteer work with youth in the region – a very active period that soon triggered the opportunity to set up his bakery.
With his experience as the director of a consulting office, Mohamed Raouf easily obtained a loan of 132,000 TND from the BTS (Tunisian Bank of Solidarity), which he supplemented with personal funds of 34,000 TND to equip the bakery premises in line with health and safety standards. In 2017, Mr Le Gourmand opened its doors, creating 14 full-time jobs in the process.
Aware of his business’s strengths and weaknesses, Mohamed Raouf welcomed the deep dive business coaching support provided by the project Mashrou3i, which is funded by USAID, the Italian Cooperation and HP Foundation, and implemented by UNIDO.
“The realization and success of the bakery has increased significantly by the support received from Mashrou3i,” explains Mohamed Raouf. “The deep dive business coaching enabled me to focus on areas the business was lacking. We received training in hygiene, as well as training in taxation which led to us recruiting an additional employee specialized in administrative tasks.”
Mohamed Raouf is currently expanding the business with the launch of a new cake brand. The entrepreneur is preparing everything from perfecting the recipe and marketing strategy to registering the brand and creating the packaging. “I’m targeting supermarkets in the west-central and bordering regions of Kef, thanks to my large portfolio of suppliers and my former contacts in civil society,” he says. “In the future, I can see myself leading and managing an international cake brand.”