A young entrepreneur started a two-color bread business

A 36-year-old young woman from Buzău, an economist by profession, set up a business with handmade Mayan bread, in two colors, surprising the local community and beyond.

Luminiţa Gheorghe's journey into entrepreneurship began just one year ago, when she baked her first bread with mayo. It all started from her passion for cooking, but also because of a gluten intolerance that the young woman has, which led her to look for and experiment with various bread-making techniques.

"My way of relaxing has always been the kitchen, that is, somehow I find peace there and I spend all my free time in the kitchen", says Luminiţa Gheorghe, adding: "11 years ago I got a car to make bread and that's how I started making bread at home. I only did it for a while, then I gave up because my body doesn't allow me to eat normal bread, even if it was made at home and had no other ingredients than water, salt, flour and yeast. But, around the beginning of 2023, I started to read about Mayan and so I decided to try this option as well".

Since the first attempt was a success, the young woman continued to cook healthy bread for her family and post photos of the products she made on social networks. In a very short time, the orders began to flow, first from friends and acquaintances, but then also from customers from Buzău and even from other counties. In less than a year, he has already gathered a hundred loyal customers to which new orders are added every week.

Luminiţa Gheorghe declares: "I never thought it would be a business. It was just my passion for bread. I started posting on social networks and somehow my friends were excited and wanted to know more information about this bread - what about it, where from, how. Slowly, slowly I started to post more often because I was doing it for us often and so other people started to want it, not only us. The orders have started to increase recently, I think because I started to be more visible online. Now I have orders from Buzau, Bucharest and even from Mehedinţi. People are delighted and some say that they never ate bread again after tasting the bread with mayo made by me".

The beginning was timid and no investment was needed, except in ingredients, especially since the young woman uses only natural ingredients, including the flour she buys from a mill in Galati, where ecologically certified grains are ground. However, as the orders increased, it was necessary to buy another oven worth 25,000 lei.

Now, after almost a year since she started on the path of entrepreneurship, Luminiţa Gheorghe declares herself satisfied and says that "the first year was about experimenting" and as the portfolio of clients increases, she will also analyze the profitability of the business more seriously.

The young entrepreneur also says: "2023 was a year in which I experimented. We didn't have very big investments and we can't even talk about profit. The client portfolio includes about 100 families, but we constantly have new orders. We have many orders from the online environment and we personally deliver all the products. We don't have a retail store yet, and it's not in our plan for now, and because our products have to be fresh, kept in special conditions, and then we like to deliver fresh bread, directly to the customer".

The production process of the bread made in the small workshop in Mărăcineni, Buzău county, takes over 48 hours, and the distribution price is between 35 and 60 lei/kg. Currently, the customers' favorites are the bread with garlic flakes and Mediterranean herbs and the one with jumars and crispy onions. More recently, the young entrepreneur produces focaccia, breadsticks, muffins with mayo and different ingredients, combined according to her own taste.

"The production process is longer, over 48 hours. Only the kneading process takes about 9-10 hours", explains Luminiţa Gheorghe, mentioning: "In the recipe I use an ecologically certified flour that I couldn't find to buy in the store and I take it from Galati, directly from a mill, where grinds the organically certified grains. And the rest of the ingredients I use are natural, I don't use anything artificial. Among the assortments are bread with turmeric and activated charcoal, a bread in two colors - black and yellow, bread with turmeric and chilli, bread with basil and dried tomatoes, basil and sweet dried red pepper, with herbs and garlic".

Luminiţa Gheoghe's business won the respect of artisanal producers in the Slow Food community who appreciated her for innovation in baking.

"Brutăria Luminiţa offers a variety of products, from classic dough to innovative flavors using different spices and ingredients. Her commitment to natural and quality ingredients has made her bakery a local favorite and a model for sustainable and health-conscious food practices. Luminiţa's passion for baking and her innovative approach to sourdough bread, which is aimed at those with dietary restrictions, made her business the start-up of the year in Buzău", say Slow Food representatives.