22 Apr 2015

Early in the morning, Mr Olemogile Motlhagodi comes out of the Saints Bakery dressed on a chef pants and a white coat.

Both his left and right hand will be holding baskets full of goodies decent enough to market themselves. And this has subsequently made him a morning darling in the Ramotswa Rural Administration Centre (RAC).

Ever since government took a decision to open its doors for small businesses, Mr Motlhagodi seized the moment to sell bread for government employees every day. Be it fat cakes, rock burns, pies, vegetable rolls, scorns or wedding cakes, all these constitute the consignment that many envy daily.

Surprisingly, even regular customers do not even know the chefs’ names, but make no mistake, they know the food he prepares is some of the best to test. All these started in about two years back after realising that life will not be auspicious unless a man tries the unknown.

At that time, he had just quit his job as a bakery assistant at Choppies superstore, a post which energised his love for cooking. In fact, the 35 year old Serule born first discovered his love for cooking during his heydays at Serule Junior School where he took Home Economics.

Then, he took the subject to appease his fellow brother whom they belonged to the Scripture Union and little did he know that cooking will turn to be his own calling.

And when he proceeded to Shashe Senior School, the young looking self-made chef opted for Food and Nutrition, which however marked the end of his academic venture in cooking.

“From there I realised that I have passion for cooking,” said Mr Motlhagodi expressing his love for food. After years of trying to find his footing in the working cadre, ultimately the soft-spoken landed at Choppies in Ramotswa and was coincidentally assigned to the kitchen.

Nevertheless, serving customers each day at Choppies made him dream of opening his own restaurant or bakery.

Day by day, he would envision every detail of the dream restaurant. It would be a warm and welcoming place where the service is above the professional notch.

It would lure customers with smelling goodies, with a large menu of good food at affordable prices.

Of course, he never imagined that adventuring on such a dream will be rough terrain yet worth taking.

 Since quitting his job, Mr Motlhagodi settled near Mokgosi Freedom square and for years now, Saint has accrued that running The Saints Bakery is not an easy ride.

“This is a viable business beside challenges that come with running a project,” said Mr Motlhagodi whose underlying principle is perseverance and not accumulation of profit.

Ever since opening the bakery, Saint has been supplying bread to Ramotswa School for the Deaf and is hopeful that more lucrative tenders will soon come.

“Council tender demand a lot of paperwork, but I am working on getting everything right now, “he added. Yet in the meantime, he is the master of the office to office delivery of his produce, a technique that has marketed the small business.

“I realised that my shop is too far yet there was demand for bread in the morning especially from the government offices,” he added.  ENDS