Her passion for healthy baking won her a shortlist among the 10 finalists for the Governors Startup Challenge , a program of Youth Empowerment Programme Initiative. We caught up with Evlyne Chidzugwe as she shares her story.
What challenges do you face as a youth today?
Most people think that we are lazy since we are the millenials. Due to unlimited access to our phones and the internet, most people believe that we don’t work as hard like our parents did. The truth is most of the youth are usually on their phones engaging in productive activities such as being a social media influencer, managing business tasks or registering for forums. Most people do not understand that you can earn from social media.
Others believe that the funding we receive from projects we use them for selfish reasons such as partying and posting on social media, instead of using it for community development.
What business do you run so far?
I run a home baking agency called Mudzini Healthy Bakes. We offer authentic and organic cakes, cookies and snacks for clients who suffer from glutten intolerance or on a healthy diet.
What challenges do you face in running your business?
Most people do not believe that flours like cassava flour can be used to make cakes. That mchicha can be sun dried, grounded and used to make flour. They do not understand that the flours we have in our shops today are a mixture of various additives which may harm your body, in the long run.
There is also stiff competition from reknowned brands which offer the same products as we do.
Do you have any milestones that you can celebrate so far? Any plans for the future?
We have built a commendable clientele base who regularly use our products, due to increased awareness on healthy living. Also, we plan on launching the Lactation Cookies for mothers who are breastfeeding. So far, we have received positive feedbacks from mothers who wish to try out the product.
Where do you see Healthy Bakes in the coming years?
I envision Mudzini Healthy Bakes as the first baking agency that doubles up as a book club whereby we’ll offer educational resources such as books on healthy living in addition to providing authentic and organic products for our clients. We shall also be hosting talks in order to increase awareness on healthy living.
