Megna Jain's Women-Run Bakery In Bengaluru Is Reshaping Culinary World

Owning a bakery is a dream most young girls have had at some point, and Megna Jain was no exception. As a schoolgirl, she was so passionate about this idea that she even wrote an Accounts assignment about a girl who opened a bakery. Today, at 29 years old, she has turned this dream into a full-fledged reality with her cloud bakery and gourmet gifting venture, aptly named Dream a Dozen.

SheThePeople interviewed Jain at her women-run bakehouse in Bengaluru, where the unmissable sweet aroma draws you in and evokes comfort. The entrepreneur shared her inspiring journey and vision to empower female talents in the male-dominated culinary field.

It All Started With A Summer Baking Class 

Megna Jain believes that her love for sweets stemmed from her Rajasthani roots. As a young girl, she joined a summer baking class hosted by a neighbour, unaware that this would become a lifelong passion. Her mother is a doctor and her father is a corporate trainer, but she decided to forge a less traditional path.

Jain first got a taste of entrepreneurial spirit as an 18-year-old B.Com student at Christ University. She once casually asked her classmates in a group chat if they would like to buy her homemade cupcakes. Little did she anticipate the overwhelming response -- within hours, Jain received orders for 90 cupcakes.

"I started asking on my class WhatsApp group every Sunday and took the stock on Monday," Jain recounted. "I used to carry the cupcakes in a BMTC bus and decorate them with frosting in college." She also recalled how the support from her classmates was crucial in boosting her confidence and fueling her business.

She shared, "One day, a teacher saw me hiding cupcakes and frosting under my desk and asked me, 'What is all this? Where are your books?' and I responded, 'I'm so sorry! I won't do it again.' But then my classmates stood up for me and asked, 'Why can't she do it? So many students have started businesses in college.'"

With the help of another professor, Jain started selling her cupcakes in the college cafeteria with two of her friends. The student entrepreneurs named their venture The Cupcake Booth. After graduation, Jain worked at food & beverage organisations for two years before founding Dream A Dozen at the young age of 22.

Running A Women-Led Business

As Jain's business grew, she transitioned from a home baker into a full-fledged entrepreneur. She is now the founder and CEO of a successful cloud bakery run by female employees. Jain wants her cloud bakery to be more than just a business -- it is a platform to empower women in a male-dominated industry.

"If you look at the representation of women in [commercial kitchens] you'll always see male chefs." Jain shared. "If you work at a place with 50 people but there are only two women, how comfortable will the female employees be?" she questioned. "You'd want to feel some sense of safety, some belongingness."

Jain said that while a lot of home bakers are female, not many commercial bakeries are run by women. She said that being a professional chef is considered a man's job because of factors like long hours and physical labour. She shared a small anecdote about her recent experience as a female entrepreneur.

"This morning I went to a factory and the person there was so surprised by the size of the business and the work that we're doing. He was like, 'What is your story? Has your father funded this? Husband funded this?' It is still so astonishing to people and it's really sad. So it's not that I am creating a new path but I wish that [women-led enterprises] are not so rare that it surprises people."

This was not the first time that Jain experienced indifference from clients or vendors. From getting mistaken for an employee to being ignored during meetings, she has faced many small but striking challenges. These experiences strengthened her resolve to create an inclusive space for women in the industry. 

Stories Of Financial Independence, Sisterhood At Workplace

Jain also hires and trains some women from lesser-privileged backgrounds to facilitate their journeys to financial independence. Some of the employees also spoke to SheThePeople noting how working in a women-dominated workplace has positively impacted their professional and personal development.

Renuka Gowda, 24, has been working here for about three-and-a-half years.

"I had just completed my second year of college when I started working here with a friend. I did not even know how to make a cake or what is buttercream. I came here to work as a helper and learnt everything from scratch... I love working in a women-run kitchen because it is so comfortable compared to being around so many men... The feeling of receiving my first salary was so wonderful; I worked on it by myself. Last year, I won an award and my family came to see me receive it. They were so proud of me!"

Shreya, a fellow baker who also works in the HR team, shared her story.

"Working at a women-led organisation is different energy altogether. I have mainly worked with just men. But here I have seen so many women working together and giving each other a helping hand... My family did not want me to take up a baking career because they felt that it 'might not work out'. So, while I am in the HR team, I help with baking whenever possible; I work on both sides. But someday I want to show my family that there are a lot of people pursuing baking and doing really well."

From Travelling To Horse-Riding: Where An Entrepreneur Seeks Comfort

Jain’s bootstrapped business has been evolving in many ways since its inception seven years ago and she has found that the key to consistent growth lies in the ability to innovate while staying connected to her roots. The entrepreneur draws inspiration from a variety of experiences beyond the kitchen.

Jain and her husband recently went on their honeymoon across Europe, where she satisfied her sweet tooth everywhere from Switzerland's chocolate factories to France's centuries-old boulangeries. During this trip, she experienced an epiphany and recognised the power of culture and nostalgia in food.

"I realised that there's a lot in India that we aren't celebrating enough. I grew up eating a lot of mithai and wanted to incorporate these flavours into the treats at my business. So we have tried unique and fun things like besan laddoo cookies, gulab jamun cheesecakes, or rabri-jalebi cupcakes," Jain shared.

Jain also specialises in festive gifting that includes confectionery inspired by India's rich culture. "I want to change the idea that gourmet always means Western products like blueberry jam or sourdough bread. While those are great, I want to show that desi flavours can also come in gourmet gift boxes."

Entrepreneurship is not as glamorous as it seems as it demands one to be creative, daring, and self-disciplined. As her own boss, Jain seeks to strike a balance between her professional and personal life through her hobbies like horse riding, which has recently become a source of rejuvenation for her.

"I started horse riding two years ago. I wanted to ride horses since I was small so I joined a class nearby," she said, expressing that the activity has positively impacted her mental well-being by drawing boundaries between work and personal time. She recounted a funny experience that underscored this balance. "When I'm riding I really can't use the phone. Once, when I was on the horse, I received a work call and the horse got mad and sat down!" 

Finding these boundaries has not been easy but Jain has determinedly learnt to balance it one day at a time. She also highlighted how taking therapy has helped her navigate the emotional challenges of entrepreneurship. In this evolving experience, her family's support has also been a cornerstone force in her journey. 

"My parents, touchwood, have always just been there from the beginning. Even though my mom is a full-time doctor and my dad is in corporate, they've always helped me. My husband is a very solid support system. So it takes an army to raise this, I don't think I did it alone," Jain mused.

As a self-made entrepreneur, Megna Jain’s journey exemplifies the essence of boundless ambitions and transformative vision. Turning her childhood dream of owning a bakery into a platform for female empowerment, she is not only shaping the culinary space but also challenging societal conventions.