• Youth

Building a legacy, one cake at a time

Maria Ngula is the face behind Rially Bakes, a small Windhoek business which allows rustic homemade treats and modern-day elegant but comforting desserts to meet.

The business specialises in a range of shapes and sizes of cakes and cupcakes, brownies and churros, and much more which are appropriate for catering to small and large functions, surprising a loved one, or simply to indulge in your own guilty pleasures once in a while.

Originally from the small town of Oranjemund, Ngula moved to Windhoek with her family when she was about three years old. As a child who grew up being a picky eater, she always loved making the food instead of actually eating it, ironically.

“My love for being in the kitchen around my mom led me into the preference of baking, rather than cooking, although I’m pretty good in both,” she said.

Currently a first-year student at the University of Namibia, Ngula’s love for baking began at a very early age.

She mentioned that her most fond memory of where her interest for food came from is when she watched ‘Barefoot Contessa’ on the Food Network.

She was more intrigued in the deserts more than anything else, she said, adding that one day she had a chat with her mother, and she suggested that Ngula start selling the cakes she bakes for family members, “and so I did”.

After making a decent amount of profit, she decided to reinvest that money into what is now known as Rially Bakes, and the rest was history.

“Business has – God-willing - been fruitful ever since I started it,” she said. She mentioned that there are some days that feel harder than others, but seeing the smiles on her customer’s faces make the long nights of baking and decorating worthwhile.

The biggest challenge she faces in the baking industry is competition, she said.

Somewhere out there, there is always someone with better-looking cakes or cupcakes; someone who has a bigger social media audience that attracts more customers; someone with better customer service, and someone who’s more strategic at pricing methods, she said.

Ngula advised small businesses to take steps like putting more effort into packaging and brand image, being more active on their business Instagram page by being fun and interactive, and setting short-term goals, to set themselves apart from the rest at the end of the day. She added that they should simply go for it.

“If I didn’t start my business because everyone else bakes, I wouldn’t be where I am right now, and neither would my business,” she said.