Breakaway from press to bread

Sarah Russell had a good media job with a good salary and perks, but there was a part of her that dreamt only of food. She left it all and found her place in a bakery.

I was born and raised in the UK. I trained as a journalist and worked in the media for about 10 years. I started off as a junior reporter for a local newspaper and worked my way up the ranks, eventually becoming a sub-editor.

As a reporter I worked very long hours for very little pay and often couldn’t write about things that really sparked my passion. However, putting newspaper pages together, writing headlines and editing copy as a sub-editor was more fun – I loved it!

When I first moved to Kenya I was single and had ambitions of working at the BBC in London or moving into TV. I came here to train young radio reporters, but that grew into a full-time career in radio, then I joined IRIN, the United Nations news agency and later worked at a major international advertising agency. Things had changed from when I was a struggling cub reporter. Now I had lots of perks, a good salary, weekends off, bonuses and paid expenses, but it was not enough. 

There was a creative side of me yearning to be unleashed and it got to a point where I was going through the motions at work. Cooking was my only solace and day-dreaming about food became part of my routine. I would dream about what I was going to cook when I got home, and the amazing ingredients I would seek during my shopping trips.

During my time off after my son was born, I took time to re-evaluate my working life. Having a family changes your perspective and makes you realise what is most important. So I left my media career behind and took the leap.

CAREER TURNAROUND

Being in Kenya gave me the courage to have a complete career turnaround at that age – I’m not sure I would ever have done that back in the UK. After some intensive attachments in professional kitchens in Nairobi, the Coast and Uganda, I enrolled at Top Chefs Culinary School in Westlands, Nairobi. They were slightly shocked when a 30-year-old mum walked in, but I needed the basic know-how that is a foundation for any skilled work.

However, the decision to go back to school and train as a chef was difficult for many reasons. Two years without bringing any money into our household was a big strain on my family. My son was just a toddler and my husband had his own business, which had its fair share of problems.

He was incredibly supportive, to the point that when were almost financially crippled he stopped working at his company and took a UN job in Haiti to make sure we stayed afloat. He was working on the other side of the world, while I finished school and tried to figure out the next step. On top of that, the long hours working in restaurants and studying left little time to spend with my little boy.

After my training I took over running Bella Luna Kitchen, a small project baking New York style bagels, founded by a friend in 2007 in Nairobi. Their bagels were popular from the onset and by 2010 I could see the huge potential. I took a very generous loan from family and bought the business when the owners moved overseas. We started making a profit two months after I took over, but we keep reinvesting every penny.

There has also been a lot of hard work put into pitching to new clients, only to find they take on your ideas and don’t hire you. This year has been particularly tough with new players on the scene, a general downturn, the elections and now Westgate. It’s been hard but we push on and regroup, with a view to expand further.

There are no normal hours in the food industry and especially when you run a 24-hour business. Getting up early is always a struggle for me, but I’m in the bakery very early juggling supervising workers with meeting clients. I often do emails and paperwork late at night, and I still have to find time to look after my family.

Since I took on the business, we have been out there talking to customers, setting up tasters at supermarkets, attending craft fairs and trying to get the best shelf presence we can. On top of that we’ve done a lot of sampling and sales pitches to hotels and restaurants. We’ve also focused on using social media to promote offers and events.

The journey has had ongoing challenges and sacrifices. The first year of running Bella Luna I didn’t take any salary, instead ploughing all the money back into the business. I focused on keeping costs as low as possible. Even now as a bigger company, I don’t take the sort of salary associated with such a role. I’ve also used a lot of my own resources and time to keep things going.

Since I moved here 13 years ago I have had back-to-back work permits throughout. These are incredibly expensive and the whole process is really difficult. After all this time with Kenya being my home I feel more Kenyan than anything and want citizenship, but this is not easily awarded. I employ 25 people and support their families – you’d think this investment would be supported, not frustrated.

SECOND THOUGHTS

There have been lots of times both during my course and later on running the business when I’ve thought it would be so much simpler to get a job, and have a guaranteed monthly salary, instead of sleepless nights and no time to relax and switch off. But I know a good business idea is exactly that and can be realised.

Just take the chance if you can and pour all that passion into it. You need to have something different to offer, whether it is food, fashion design or anything else. On top of that it is a lot of hard work, commitment and stress, so it’s got to be something you enjoy and are really passionate about.

In terms of baking we’ve seen a lot of new enterprises during the last three years with varying amounts of success. It means we have to up our game and continue to be innovative, so my business plan is constantly evolving to keep pace with the marketplace. I’d love to have a custom built factory, brand new equipment and a fleet of delivery vans and world-class packaging, but we are taking one step at a time.

Baking bread is one of the most cathartic and satisfying things I’ve ever done. It is like growing your own vegetables. I taught my son to bake as a small toddler and we love to make new breads and pasta, cakes and cookies together. On my off days and evenings I find myself in my kitchen, experimenting or entertaining. My shelves are packed with cookbooks; I lose myself in cooking shows and have a major crush on Gordon Ramsay! I would love to have my own restaurant but for now the bakery comes first.

It’s been a roller coaster learning and growing experience, but I’m living my dream, working full-time in the food industry –my way! In five years I see us being a serious contender in the national baking market, in all the supermarkets and supplying all the major players in the hospitality business.