Baking the best traditional pastries in Zaghouan

At 36 years old, Faiza Riahi has just launched her business for making ‘kaak warka’, a traditional pastry well known in Tunisian, particularly in Zaghouan where it is flavored with floral water from the region’s rose hips, also known as ‘Nesri’.

“When I was 20, I had the chance to learn this profession, which over time has become a real passion. Thanks to this experience, I went from an apprentice to a self-taught entrepreneur. I was baking a long time from home. It was only recently after joining the Mashrou3i project that I decided to go professional and set up a production unit.”

Now with the help of 6 female pastry chefs and the support of her brother, Faiza ensures a good work rotation and a regular supply for her customers in both Tunisia’s northern and southern regions.

“It has been a long time since I had to prepare samples and tour all regions of the country to gain new clients. Since the creation of my Facebook page, orders have been growing fast and I deliver my products across the country via private transporters.”

“Thanks to the support of Mashrou3i experts, I was able to register on the HP LIFE e-Learning platform and was selected to follow the face-to-face training for entrepreneurs. This 5-day experience was very rewarding for me. It enabled me to approach all the management concepts that I hadn’t known before. How to manage my work, my cash flow, my profit, and also my clientele to build customer loyalty.”

Like many other traditional kaak producers, Faiza has built her reputation on the Nesri, but even more on the high quality of her popular products, delivered in all regions of Tunisia.

“The HP LIFE courses in marketing and communication inspired me to offer a product with a special flavor and high quality. This enabled me to gain loyal clients from Zaghouan to Djerba.”

Despite her success, Faiza remains modest. She plans to open a bakery on the main avenue of Zaghouan, where her customers would be able to taste modern pastries alongside her delicious traditional offering. Passionate about her craft, she aims to keep learning to also understand all the principles of modern pastry making.