Tucked away in the neighbourhood of Shah Alam’s Seksyen 6 lies a cafe known as Manis.
A little under a year ago, however, and you would be hard-pressed to find any trace of this cafe. That is, save for an online business selling baked goods known as WildFlour.
Co-run by Shazana Shukor and her husband, Din, the duo operate hand-in-hand, with Shazana leading the charge in the kitchen and growing the business with her over 14 years of experience in the F&B industry.
Meanwhile, Din heads communications and marketing, engaging with the community being the natural people person that he is whilst still working full time.
Shazana found her start in the F&B industry graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts. From there, she worked her way up to both managerial and trainer roles, eventually providing consultancy and freelance services to new businesses after her daughter was born.
But when COVID reared its head on Malaysian shores, she soon found herself stuck at home with an infant and the need for a way to pay the bills.
That was when the idea for WildFlour Kitchen first came into view.
“It started with me baking quiches and sourdough breads to gift to relatives,” she explained.
“I thought, why not ask those following me on my social accounts if they wanted to order, and that’s where it started.”
Making the leap
Beginning with minimal capital, WildFlour’s initial focus was on catering for special orders and events, serving baked goods such as cakes, quiches, and pastries.
But after seeing the positive reception to their baked goods, the two began to envision a space where they could serve their creations in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
As post-COVID trends eventually saw a shift towards physical dining and online orders slowly began to die down, this dream soon became a necessity and soon enough, Manis was born.
Though the transition would require a significant amount of investment, Shazana knew from past experiences in the F&B industry that she did not want to be tied down by debt or investors. As a result, Manis was funded through a combination of personal savings and reinvested earnings.
“I also did not want to run my business in the red as I’ve seen how a few bad months can kill a small business before it has the chance to survive,” she said.
For their location, Shah Alam was picked due to its low rental costs, the cafe furnished with second-hand and donated equipment. The team and menu was also kept small to ease running costs.
“I was too weary to take a financial risk,” Shazana further elaborated. “Thankfully, with my husband’s encouragement and trust, we decided to take the leap and invested in our ambition to build a community space.”
To their surprise, this leap of faith would be met with overwhelming positivity from their local community, exceeding their expectations.
Now, Manis aims to attract visitors from other areas, making full use of their extended menu and atmosphere with the hopes of further expanding their reach locally.
Second wind
Manis offers a combination of comfort foods and drinks, most recipes being developed in-house. Inspiration is sometimes taken from global trends, combining those ideas with local ingredients with the hopes of leaving lasting impressions on their customers.
The exceptions to this creative process are Manis’ three most popular Bundts, cakes with a distinctive ring shape with a hollow centre portion.
A permanent staple of the cafe, the recipes for these were inherited from her mentor, Basira Yeusuff, the head chef of Root Cellar KL.
Having emigrated to Korea to co-found Agak Agak Seoul, Yeusuff’s fans had been missing her Bundts. “She reached out and asked if I would bake and sell her cakes,” Shazana explained.
Other items on the menu include their Tom Yum Quiche, Smashed Sweet Potato with Miso Tahini Butter, torch ginger soda, and their best-seller Mont Blanc, a cold brew served with citrus cold cream.
Slow and steady
Of course, transitioning from a home-based bakery to a cafe comes with its own fair share of struggles.
“Finding and retaining skilled talent is a challenge,” Shazana commented. This, on top of her responsibilities as a mother and trying to meet customer expectations.
“Overcoming these required adaptability, a strong support system, and maintaining our commitment to quality,” she further elaborated.
Looking towards the future, Shazana hopes to grow the brand even further, collaborating with other local brands as well as exploring new product lines.
Though this may prove challenging for their small team, she nevertheless believes that staying true to their values will guide them in their endeavours.
“We are in no rush to grow big too fast, we focus on sustainable growth and reinvesting in the business.”
And that’s a perfectly good recipe for success.
- Learn more about Manis by WildFlour here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about F&B businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Manis by WildFlour
