There are more and more people who want to buy a homemade, handmade product, said a young married couple, Merjem and Tarik Hamzić, who a few years ago dared to start their own business and pass on their love of chocolate not only to citizens of Sarajevo, but to all those who want to please their palates with quality sweets.
Many of us say that when we want to eat sweets, it should be the one whose quality is impeccable. Just like that, something comes up as a thought when your hand goes to Bashka chocolates. Just as you put on your favorite perfume with pride and joy, so the tastes of Bashka chocolate make you feel special, because true hedonism is always authentic.
(Photo: Bashka)
Merjem and Tarik reveal for eKapija how they created their business and how the research path in which they want to offer “homemade” chocolates is going.
eKapija: How did the idea to create the Bashka brand come about? What were your initial wishes when you started this story?
– Merjem and Tarik: There is one beautiful description that comes from our dear friend Berina that says: Bashka is an adventure when two in love create out of love. And that’s really how this story started. When we started our first activities, we both had more than 10 years of rich experience in the corporate world, but we still had the need to create something of our own, something special. Baška or in our case Bashka means just that – specifically, especially. You have often heard that every person should do what they love. Well, in that simple sentence, it is actually the biggest challenge. What is it that we love, and we can dedicate ourselves to it and be continuously challenged and in love again with what we do?
Our wish then, and today, is to introduce chocolate lovers, and those who have yet to become one, to chocolate, as well as to offer a product on our market that can match the quality and appearance of the world’s most famous brands from the world of chocolate.
eKapija: What were the first steps when you started to develop this story? How important is preparation to start your own business?
(Photo: Aida Redžepagić for the Foundation 787) – Merjem and Tarik: Bashka started as a hobby that the two of us dedicated to ourselves after finishing our regular business obligations. Months of research of literature, visits to the world’s largest fairs, elaboration of ideas, and finally training at the Belgian Chocolate Academy have begun. After visiting a number of European masters, we closed this initial cycle of our research with a visit to a cocoa plantation in distant Indonesia. It is interesting that each mentioned step was an encouragement to continue, but also to reduce the risk of failure. From this distance, it is amazing how little we knew about the nature of the job, and at the same time how our vision was set correctly. All this helped us to get acquainted in more detail, theoretically, but also practically with the process of making chocolate. I must say that we are still at the beginning of this adventure and that we have a continuous learning process ahead of us, which we can hardly wait to continue.
At the same time, we researched how this whole story can be formally launched, through which type of organization, tested the product on the market in terms of demand for the same, reactions to it, determined a niche that was very important for all further activities. Without a clear vision and detailed elaboration of the business plan itself, you can hardly expect results.
eKapija: Have you analyzed the domestic market when it comes to this segment? What did the findings show you – were the citizens eager for quality “homemade” chocolate, was there enough quality offer until then?
– Merjem and Tarik: One of the most important activities you need to take when thinking about starting your own brand is market analysis in terms of existing supply and demand. We had a clear vision of what we wanted our brand to be, and market research helped us to define the target group more clearly.
At the moment when we started our story, the most famous domestic and foreign brands of industrial chocolate could be found on our market, and for all those who are used to this type of chocolate, the offer was quite acceptable. Despite that, and many questions from the environment in the sense of “so who will buy it “, we remained persistent in offering something new and special.
The whole “craft” and “artisan” movement is developing quite organically and healthily in our beautiful country and we must point out that here we are slowly catching up with the trends that are already present in Western countries. More and more people want to buy a homemade, handmade product.
eKapija: How do you choose flavors and ingredients? Is it difficult to get quality raw materials?
– Merjem and Tarik: We want to offer chocolate lovers, first of all, the opportunity to try four basic types of chocolate that exist in the world, and they are: dark, milk, white and ruby.
Inspiration for recipes is present all around us. Currently, we use pieces of cocoa beans, fruits dried with special techniques, spices, edible flower petals such as candied rose, blanched California almonds, Iranian pistachios, Mexican pecans, cashews, crushed coffee and more.
Although there are many interesting researches on which types of chocolate are combined with certain additives, Bashka combinations are the result of our many years of tasting and experimenting with flavors that have proven to be complementary. Chocolate offers endless possibilities of combining flavors, so we will continue to strive to offer new flavors that will find their way to everyone’s palate.
Some of the advantages of globalization are that almost everything we can imagine has become available to us and can be delivered to us in a few days. The fact is that due to the limited market in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we sometimes have to look for alternative supply chains for some of the raw materials, but we have become creative in that field and there is no obstacle that can prevent us from getting the highest quality ingredients. However, with transportation costs, we sometimes pay more than the premium price. All this to get the product we imagined and offered to gourmets for tasting and enjoyment.
eKapija: Did you have the support of professional people who gave you advice on how to develop products?
– Merjem and Tarik: We had the opportunity to talk to people of different profiles who supported us on our journey. Starting with the masters of the craft themselves, people who started some similar adventures, even in other fields like design, fashion, art, nutrition. Significant “push” came through the BizUp program organized by the Foundation 787. Through this program we have gained significant acquaintances and knowledge in the field of marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, the importance of using social networks, sales…
eKapija: What are the impressions of those who tried your chocolate, what do they say?
– Merjem and Tarik: Impressions motivate us again to move forward and through them we justify hard work. How many types of chocolate in such a ratio are there and those to whom one of them is a favorite. Some people like bitter, some people like satin white with fruit, many of them prefer caramel with pecans, and ruby is a novelty that has its own audience.
eKapija: How is your entrepreneurial story developing now, are you satisfied with the development? What are the sales channels and how can citizens try these treats?
– Merjem and Tarik: Although we have been present on the market for some time, we are still at the beginning. When you are small, then it goes much slower and in smaller steps. We are currently equipping our first workshop in which we plan to continue creating our recognizable delicacies, but also many others that we have in the plan.
(Photo: Aida Redžepagić for the 787 Foundation) All chocolate lovers can contact us on social networks, Instagram and Facebook, where we will be more than happy to give them all the necessary information. The last preparations for entering the market are underway, at carefully selected locations, with those partners who share with us the vision of a domestic handmade product.
eKapija: Is it difficult to build a private business in Bosnia and Herzegovina today, when some young people are thinking more and more about how to start their own business ideas? What would you advise them?
– Merjem and Tarik: Entrepreneurship is definitely not for everyone, especially in our country. After the introduction and the initial infatuation, there are challenges that are not easy to deal with.
As one person, you are often the owner, accountant, logistician, hygienist, production and machine foreperson, packer, marketing guru, photographer, online channel administrator and the like – a real octopus. However, that feeling when you hold the final product in your hand and when you get feedback from the end and enthusiastic user is worth every bit of effort put in. It is our reward and motive for constant progress. Obstacles in entrepreneurship are everyday. But one should always keep in mind that these are just – obstacles that need to be accepted, solved or bypassed.
eKapija: What are the general plans for the future? How would you like to see Bashka in the coming years?
– Merjem and Tarik: We have many plans for the future, but we are following at our own pace. Our intention is to present new products in the coming months and that all those interested can find them more easily.
Teodora Brnjoš
