Mila Khokha is the owner of Baked with Love, a company based in Monaghan town that bakes delicious sweet treats with an eastern European twist. It is now in its third year of operation and she has recently moved to a brand-new bakery.

When Mila first came to Ireland in 2003 from her native Belarus – where she was an English lecturer – she had originally only intended on staying for a year. Such was the welcome she received, she is still here 14 years later.

It was one of the hardest periods in Mila’s life, but it is a testament to her character that she has persevered.

“In my first two years here in Ireland I had only seen my two-year-old son, Vlad, four times – and that was incredibly difficult,” she recalls.

Mila had loved her job with Monaghan Mushrooms and the financial security it offered, but she could never escape the lifelong dream she had to one day own her own company.

Following The Dream

“I was approaching my 35th birthday when I finally made the decision to start Baked with Love,” she explains.

It was, in fact, a conversation around the Christmas dinner table that finally pushed Mila to follow her dream. “My mother told me: ‘All you have been doing is talking about this dream. What are you actually doing about it?’” she recalls.

That conversation took place on 25 December, and by 9 January Mila had a HSA officer in her house seeing if she could convert her newly decorated sitting room into a small-scale home bakery. By April 2014, the business was registered – and Mila was ready to follow her dream.

Starting The Start-Up

Mila had no idea how to set up her own business, but a trip to the local Monaghan Enterprise office soon had her on the right path.

“They were brilliant and offered me so many supports. Up till then, I was just approaching local shops to see if they would be interested in stocking my products. Then I was selected to take part in the pilot SuperValu Food Academy programme – and things really took off,” she says.

At only nine weeks in business, Mila was stocked in 12 SuperValu stores across Cavan and Monaghan.

“It was very tough at the start. After my day’s work I came home to start baking and decorating the products. It would usually be around two in the morning by the time I got to bed. Then I was up to make deliveries at 5am, before heading back to work at 9am. That lasted for five months, until I hired the first person in November,” she recalls.

Mila was prepared to make sacrifices to ensure her business succeeded, as she is a big believer in self-determination.

“I would say passion has been my secret ingredient,” she says. “There are so many ups and downs when you start a new business, so you have to hold on to that belief in yourself and the product.”

Taking The Next Step

Until seven weeks ago, Baked with Love operated from the sitting room bakery – just 50m2 in size. It had reached maximum capacity of 2,000 units per day and could service no more than 60 shops.

Mila has now relocated to a new premises that is 500 square metres in size and can produce 3,000 units in an hour. The two conventional ovens have been swapped for a large industrial oven and it was all done without borrowing any money.

“When we arrived here, it was just a shell and four walls. Now we have 29 rooms and two bakeries. We completed most of the work ourselves, to cut costs, which has meant it took longer than we would have liked.

“Since we started, back into 2014, we have funded [development] from our own savings and grants that help startup businesses. The generosity of people has been overwhelming,” Mila says.

Now up and running in the new premises, Mila has ambitious plans for the next 12 months.

Expansion plans

“Currently we’re supplying 60 shops, but by the end of 2017 I want to see that number at 200. To do that we’ll have to take on more staff. Currently, we have five staff – but by this time next year that will be 15,” she says.

There are also plans to expand the range of products.

“Our products are a selection of traditional and Eastern European cakes and cupcakes,” she explains. “We also produce a signature Bramley apple twist, which is a recipe handed down to me from my great-grandmother.”

However, Baked with Love will shortly start production on their new gluten-free range. “When we built these new premises, we put in two separate identical bakeries: one for our main range and the other for our gluten-free range,” says Mila.

Reflection

One thing that has really stood out to Mila on her journey is the lesson that you should embrace – rather than fear – change.

“When I left Belarus, I left my old life behind and when I set up Baked with Love I had to start from scratch again. You should never be afraid of change and you should embrace it when it comes along,” she says.

“I always tell my son to dream big – because when you dream big, big things happen to you and then you can look back and be proud of yourself.” CL

Find Baked With Love Ltd on Facebook.