Help Us Expand Our Bakery and Serve More Customers

My name is Thando Mokoena, and I am the founder of Thando's Oven, a small bakery based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

What started as a small home-based baking operation has gradually grown into a business supplying fresh bread, muffins, scones and other baked products to households, cafés and independent retailers in our community.

I am proud of how far we have come, but we have reached a point where our current equipment and production space are limiting the growth of the business.

We are launching this campaign on Bump to raise R480,000 to expand our bakery, improve our production capacity and give us the equipment and working capital we need to serve more customers.

How the Business Started

I started Thando's Oven in 2022 after losing my job.

At the time, I was looking for a way to create an income for myself. I had always enjoyed baking, particularly bread and simple pastries, and I decided to turn that interest into a small business.

I began with a basic oven, a few baking trays, a small mixer and equipment that I already had at home.

My first customers were neighbours, friends and people from my local community.

I would bake small batches in the morning, package everything myself and deliver orders whenever I could.

The orders were not large, but they gave me confidence.

People came back.

Some customers started ordering every week. Others recommended us to friends and family.

Eventually, I began receiving requests from small cafés and local shops that wanted to stock our products.

That was when I realized that Thando's Oven could become more than a small side business.

Growing Through Reinvestment

I have always tried to reinvest as much as possible into the business.

Whenever sales allowed, I bought additional equipment, improved our ingredients and increased the amount of stock we could produce.

We moved into a rented commercial kitchen so that we could handle more orders and separate the business from my home.

Over time, our customer base continued to grow.

Today, we supply a number of regular customers in our area, including households, cafés and independent retailers.

We have also received enquiries from businesses that would like to place larger and more regular orders.

Unfortunately, our current production capacity makes it difficult to accept some of these opportunities.

Our Equipment Is Now Holding Us Back

One of our biggest challenges is our oven.

It works, but it was purchased when the business was much smaller.

We can only bake a limited number of products at a time, which means larger orders require multiple production cycles.

Our mixer has a similar limitation.

Preparing larger batches takes considerably more time, and some of the work still has to be done manually.

As our orders have increased, these limitations have become more noticeable.

There have been occasions when we have had to turn down orders because we could not confidently promise that we would produce and deliver them on time.

For a growing business, that is a difficult position to be in.

We do not want to grow by accepting orders that our current operation cannot handle.

Instead, we want to invest in the right equipment first and build the capacity to grow properly.

Why We Are Raising R480,000

We have set a fundraising goal of R480,000.

The money will be used primarily to improve our production capacity.

A significant portion will go toward purchasing a larger commercial mixer and upgrading our oven capacity.

We also need additional baking trays, preparation equipment, storage racks and other tools required to run a more efficient production operation.

Another part of the funding will be used to improve our packaging.

As we approach more retailers and cafés, we need packaging that protects the products properly while presenting the brand professionally.

We will also keep part of the funds as working capital.

This will allow us to purchase flour, yeast, sugar, oil, packaging materials and other ingredients in sufficient quantities as production increases.

We believe this is important because buying equipment alone will not solve our problem.

We need enough working capital to actually use that equipment and fulfil the larger orders we hope to receive.

What the Expansion Will Allow Us to Do

Our immediate objective is to increase the amount of bread and baked products we can produce each day.

With a larger mixer and improved ovens, we expect to be able to prepare larger batches more efficiently.

This should reduce the amount of time spent on each production cycle and allow us to handle larger orders without putting excessive pressure on our team.

It will also give us greater flexibility.

Instead of producing almost everything according to small individual orders, we will be able to plan production more efficiently around our regular customers.

This should help us reduce delays and improve consistency.

Reaching More Customers

We currently focus mainly on customers within our local area.

As our production capacity increases, we want to approach more independent retailers, cafés and other small food businesses in Johannesburg.

There are many businesses that would rather work with a reliable local supplier than purchase everything from large commercial distributors.

We believe this creates an opportunity for Thando's Oven.

Our goal is not to become a massive bakery overnight.

We want to grow steadily, build strong relationships with customers and become known for producing fresh, consistent and affordable baked goods.

Creating Employment

Another reason this expansion is important to me is employment.

At the moment, the business operates with a very small team.

As production increases, we expect to need additional help with preparation, baking, packaging and deliveries.

Creating even a few additional jobs would be meaningful.

I know what it feels like to lose a job and have to figure out how to create an income from scratch.

If the growth of this business allows someone else to earn a living, learn new skills and gain work experience, that would make the expansion even more worthwhile.

Why We Are Using Crowdfunding

I considered traditional business financing, but taking on a large loan is not something I want to do without first having enough production capacity and predictable cash flow.

A loan would create monthly repayment obligations while we are still trying to grow.

Crowdfunding gives us an opportunity to invite people to become part of this next stage of the business.

We are not raising money to start a business that exists only as an idea.

Thando's Oven is already operating.

We have customers.

We have products that people buy.

We have experience in production.

What we need is the capital to increase our capacity.

How Your Support Can Help

Every contribution will bring us closer to the expansion.

The funds will help us purchase the equipment needed to increase production, improve our packaging and maintain enough working capital to operate at a larger scale.

For someone who has purchased our bread or baked goods before, your support can help us produce more of the products you already enjoy.

For someone discovering Thando's Oven for the first time, your support can help a small South African business take its next step.

We also want to be transparent about what we are trying to achieve.

Our goal is R480,000, and every part of that amount has a purpose within the expansion plan.

Our Long-Term Vision

The immediate goal is to expand our bakery.

The long-term goal is to build Thando's Oven into a dependable local food business with a strong customer base and a small team of people who can grow alongside it.

We want to supply more retailers.

We want to develop more products.

We want to improve our production processes.

And eventually, we would like to have our own dedicated bakery facility rather than relying on rented production space.

But we know that those goals will take time.

For now, we are focused on taking one practical step forward.

That step is increasing our production capacity.

Why This Matters to Me

Thando's Oven represents much more to me than a way of making money.

I built this business at a time when I was uncertain about what my future would look like.

Starting with a small oven and a few customers taught me that a business does not have to begin with a large amount of capital.

It can begin with a skill, a product that people value and the willingness to keep improving.

But there comes a point when hard work alone is not enough.

You need equipment.

You need working capital.

You need space.

And you need the ability to take advantage of opportunities when they come.

That is where we are today.

We have built the foundation.

Now we need the resources to build on it.

Help Us Take the Next Step

We are raising R480,000 through Bump to expand Thando's Oven and increase our ability to produce and supply fresh baked products.

The funding will help us purchase commercial equipment, improve our packaging, increase our working capital and create the production capacity needed to serve more customers.

This campaign is an important step for our business, and we would be grateful for your support.

Whether you contribute, share our campaign with someone who may be interested, or simply take the time to learn about what we are building, you are helping us move closer to our goal.

We started with a small oven and a few customers.

Now we have an opportunity to build something much bigger.

Help us take Thando's Oven to the next level.