Ifeoma Ndubisi Nnoke, a Microbiology graduate from Abia State University, began baking cakes from home in 2015 while simultaneously running a jewelry and hat business. Two months before the COVID-19 lockdown, a friend who had tasted her cake secured her a contract to supply birthday cakes to a hospital. Finding it difficult to manage both ventures, she decided to focus solely on baking. As she continued to refine her skills and post on social media during the lockdown, her customer base grew, and her sales soared
By Eberechi Obinagwam
Ifeoma Ndubisi Nnoke, a Microbiology graduate from Abia State University, began baking cakes from home in 2015 while simultaneously running a jewelry and hat business. Two months before the COVID-19 lockdown, a friend who had tasted her cake secured her a contract to supply birthday cakes to a hospital. Finding it difficult to manage both ventures, she decided to focus solely on baking. As she continued to refine her skills and post on social media during the lockdown, her customer base grew, and her sales soared beyond her imagination.
Ifeoma established Grifzcakes in Abuja, delivering quality cakes, with other services including pastries, ice-cream, popcorn, shawarma and cotton candy.
Starting up
Ifeoma initially started selling jewelry and hat-making, a business she started when she could not get her desired job after school. “I didn’t like the kind of jobs that would take me outside home for long periods, or always take me out of the city. I wanted the lecturing kind of jobs where I would still have ample time for my family because I wanted to be an intentional mum. But it didn’t work out, so I settled for business before and after marriage,” she said.
In 2015, she decided to learn baking because of her flair for appetizing dishes. She started with beginner’s cake and pastries within a month. After completing her training, she put her skills into practice by baking children’s birthday cakes in her home. While at that, she was running jewelry and hat-making business.
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In 2019, her cake business took a new turn when a friend who was working at Limi Hospital, Abuja, tasted her cake and recommended her to their Human Resources Department to be their birthday cake supplier.
“The HR chose my cake, and I started supplying 20 to 40 mini birthday cakes for them every month. I also started posting these cakes on my WhatsApp status, and that was where my journey into cakes started,” she said.
Ifeoma told TheNiche that all of these happened two months before the COVID-19 lockdown. So, when the lockdown started, she was getting more orders aside her contract with the Limi Hospital. With this, she could no longer cope with running other businesses. So, she had to drop jewelry and hat-making to concentrate fully on cakes and pastries. “I don’t want to be doing both. Though I still sell already-made costume jewelry, I no longer make them as before, and I don’t intend to. I love cakes and pastries, and I am pushing for more growth and expansion in it,” she said.
From the time she learned cakes and pastries, she has attended intermediary classes to hone her skills. She said her passion for baking was only natural, “Because I come from a lineage of extremely intelligent, skilful, passionate, enterprising, and very creative people,” she said. She added: “I have love for arts, food, not gluttony though (laughing) and passion in delighting people around with mouthwatering and delicious recipes.”
Sourcing for capital
Ifeoma didn’t have a problem sourcing capital because she had savings. “Growing up, I always ensured I had good savings. From the time I went for the National Youth Service, I always looked for good businesses to do and invest in. With this, I could buy the much as I needed at that time. So, I had savings from my jewelry and hat business, and I have been buying a lot of equipment in preparation for it.”
Penetrating the market
The Managing Director of Grifzcakes said the challenges she had penetrating the market were minor, just like any new business would. “I just had to patiently understand the business, customers’ expectations, as well as build my customer base.”
Learning moment
Ifeoma had a bad experience in 2023, when she unknowingly used a flour that had been polluted by fuel for her job and only got to know when she started receiving complaints from customers. “It was a great loss that period,” she said.
She added: “My supplier sold me flour that tasted of fuel. I didn’t know how that happened but I only knew when complaints started rolling in from the doughnuts, cakes and meat pies I made. It was terrible. I lost mostly my first-time customers. I lost money. It was pretty frustrating. I had to quickly do refunds to avoid losing old customers, too. I couldn’t do much with the new customers; they left. Only one stayed, and said, ‘but the cake was still rich despite all odds.’ After that, I had to drop that particular vendor. So, since then, I got to know that raw materials quality assurance includes smelling them.”
Breakthrough
Ifeoma’s belief is that if she does not have a breakthrough today, it will come tomorrow. So, when there is a breakdown, she keeps pushing till she gets what she wants. “I am a hard worker, and I love achieving things. I always stay motivated.”
Aside her belief, the contract she got from Limi Hospital to supply birthday cakes for their staff was a breakthrough. “I did that with them for over three years. They have a great staff strength of over 200. I was supplying about 20 cakes every month.
“Also, the consistent posting of my cakes online attracted customers from within and outside the hospital. It was a breakthrough for me. It all started two months before the COVID-19 lockdown. So, during the COVID-19 lockdown, I was still making money because customers were coming to my house to pick up their cakes. It was a beautiful season for me, business-wise.
“Sticking to the advice of my close pals in the business that said If your cakes and pastries are nice, you will excel in the business. So, it’s been so. Our cakes and pastries are top-notch, so I keep getting referrals from happy customers,” she said.
Doing business in Nigeria
The Grifzcakes MD said the continuous increase in prices of cakes and pastry items has been a big challenge. “To stay in business, I am just careful not to increase my prices regularly, else customers will run.”
She said sometimes, she makes do with small profits, and other times, she has to increase the price to stay in business, once she can’t help it.
“But, whatever happens, I ensure the quality remains the same. That’s paramount! Our customers know this, understand this, and always stick with us. In addition to this, we have mini sizes of cakes and pastries to ensure most people can afford them. We never tamper with our quality,” she said.
Japa
Ifeoma said growing up, she never liked the idea of living outside Nigeria, only travelling to study and visit. “’But settling outside, Naaaa.., not my thing. I believe I can achieve anything with patience, hard work, and consistency, and I am getting good results.”
