Commentaries | Oct 05,2024
The pastry house began life in 1964 when friends Belay Teklu and Gebresenay Tedla opened St George Pastry in Merkato. Gebresenay later left, and Belay relaunched at Teklehaimanot, then Lideta, pioneering cakes when Ethiopians still viewed buying bread outside the home as a sin.
To attract customers, he sold slices to schoolchildren from Leul Mekonnen for five cents. From an initial paid-up capital of 500,000 Br and annual sales of 100,000 Br, turnover now tops 100 million Br. Since 1998, Belay’s children, Amanuel Belay, with siblings Eyob, Bemnet and Sirak, have traded as Belay Teklu & Sons, operating three outlets in Lideta, Somali Tera and Lafto which keeps 200 employed. A slice now sells for 60 Br.
Q: Did you grow up wanting to run the family business, or were you pulled in another direction? And what is the most bizarre advice an older relative gave you that worked?
Amanuel: We were raised in the bakery; it chose us. After studying management at Unity University, the handover was smooth. These things happen.
Q: How do you maintain old-school charm and family tradition without lagging behind modern expectations?
Cake is our core. We keep that front and centre.
Q: How often do you consult your parents’ coffee-stained notebook?
Father taught: “Better small money from many people than big money from a few.” We stay volume-oriented and affordable, so no customer leaves angry.
Q: If your company’s journey became a holiday movie, would it be a comedy, drama or cautionary tale?
Definitely dramatic.
Q: When you propose changes that break with tradition, do you hear “That’s not how your parents did it”?
Father’s cake dream remains intact, but tastes evolve. Our menu now ranges from plain sponge to ultracreamy confections.
Q: What’s the most infamous meltdown in the family’s history, and did it reshape you?
No meltdown, though a decade ago, a biscuit line flopped. We will revisit it soon.
Q: Which item from your kit do you secretly hoard?
An old UK-made mixer, father’s pride. Still agile, and still in use.
Q: Ever tempted to rebrand around a quirky family saying?
No, though we are considering new product lines beyond cake.
Q: When you feel stuck, whose voice do you hear?
Father’s: “Failure can be a springboard.” It keeps us grounded in a shifting economy.
PUBLISHED ON
Apr 19,2025 [ VOL
26 , NO
1303]
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