Rising to success: Mombasa's baker Amina Khalid inspires change in youth

Nine years ago, she had no intention of owning one of the youngest known bakeries in the country.

She started small turning her mother's small kitchen into a local bakery

"I started baking a bit here and there in 2016. I struggled for about two years before the business took off. Then I began to gain recognition. Initially, I only baked and sold from home and to local shops. I began from my mum’s small kitchen.”

Today, she is the best baker known in Mombasa and beyond.

At the age of 17, Amina Khalid baked his brother a cake during his school closing day.

“I was just making cakes out of passion. When my brother approached me that he wanted a cake for the whole class I had no idea it would bring out the whole idea of entrepreneurship I depend on today,” says Khalid.

(Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

She says out of basic ingredients she managed to give the cake to his brother’s class, what motivated her, even more, was the response she received.

“The class was all finger-licking the cake and right there I knew I was sleeping on a business opportunity,” she says.

The now 25-year-old, who has never stepped foot in any cake classes, says she learns from her mistakes and the reviews she receives from clients.

“My second attempt at making a cake was successful but the decoration was horrible. I had to put in more effort and perfected my baking and cake designing skills,” says Ms Khalid.

Her first profit as a baker was a five-kilogramme chocolate cake which earned her Sh4,000.

However, her uniqueness from other entrepreneurs is that a certain percentage of cake purchased goes to charity organizations.

“I am planning on training five orphans annually so that in future they can be independent,” she says.

Khalid has trained more than 300 students who have graduated from her baking school based in Bamburi.

She has taught students from as far as Uganda, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, Tanzania, and remote parts of Kenya including Turkana.

In November, 50 other students will graduate at her annual graduation ceremony which also brings together youth and business people to network and share opportunities.

Minat Cake Zone Academy students during their graduation in Mombasa (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

Through her extraordinary skills, she opened her own bakery known as Minat Bakery.

“I had my first exhibition at City Mall, Mombasa where i was the youngest baker, i was 19 years old. After the exhibition, i saw the need to give my bakery a name. But it was never easy, when I was about to register the name Minny Bakery, there was another company by the same name,” says Ms Khalid.

A few days later, she had to settle for Minat Bakery.

"Early this year, I rebuilt my bakery upstairs because more students were enrolling, and the space was too small, so I expanded the bakery. However, I haven't finished building it yet as I ran out of funds. But I won’t give up! I know if I don’t complete it this year, there's always next year."

She has been awarded several times for her accomplishments in society.

Among the awards is the Award for the Best Small Business from Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), Best Baker of 2022, Award of Excellence of 100 Most Influential Kenyan Muslims, Youngest Self-Taught Baker, First Runners Up at the YEPI Entrepreneurship Summit, and Second Runners Up at Wedding Glamorous Cake Competition, 2024 Kayana Female MSME Award among others.

Khalid also emerged as the first runner-up in decorating a cake in a four-minute competition.

When she started all she knew was to play with a mixture of ingredients, but today Ms Khalid is baking wedding cakes, pastries and desserts, bread, digestive cookies, and customised cakes among others.

Amina Khalid with her sister and mother during the graduation ceremony. (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

Her business depends on customer availability.

“In other months I can get an order of two or even three cakes. But other months I can do up to 15 cakes a month where prices vary depending on the flavours and sizes,” says Khalid.

What sets her apart from other entrepreneurs is that a portion of the proceeds from each cake sale is donated to charity organizations.

Through her bakery, she trains orphans and young people in baking skills, helping them gain independence and opportunities.

“On the training orphans, I have  partnered with a local charity organization called 20 bob movement, aiming to support young women, so they pay for them a certain percentage  every year and they learn.”

Today, Khalid doesn't only teach and bake cakes but holds annual events that bring over 500 youth together.

Last year she did the Minat Cake Festival where she baked 1,000 kilograms of different 50 types of cakes.

This year in November she will be hosting the second edition of the Minat Cake Festival where she looks at ensuring everyone who attends the event leaves with a cake.

A student at the Minat Cake Zone Academy (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)