Brief description of the organisation/initiative
Bea Gateste is all about putting ideas into a tasty reality. Through her work, Nicole Beatrice Țeighiu Jurj (Bea Gateste) likes to reinvent all kinds of cakes, pastries and ordinary culinary recipes. Bea Gateste aims to offer exceptional results to its customers by listening to what they want. Whether it is combining sweet and savoury or wishing to create a grandma’s recipe, Bea Gateste can do it all. Her menu includes many classing flavours from triple chocolate to apple and cinnamon. Nonetheless, Bea Gateste connects with her customers and listens to their needs by providing customisation options. As such, she develops not only her business but also her skills.
Challenge overview
Bea Gateste is no stranger to the challenges small businesses experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the company opened during the first wave of the virus. Although it was not the best time to open an online shop and have to interact with customers during delivery, Bea Gateste took as many precautions as possible. Wearing masks and gloves during the culinary process was mandatory.
Even though some people may think that it was not an idea worth putting into perspective, regarding the market, which is full of these kinds of businesses, Bea Gateste took the risk that was worth it.
Establishment of the organisation/initiative/enterprise
Most bakeries in Bea Gateste’s hometown follow a specific, basic pattern to satisfy as many people as possible. However, Bea Gateste focuses not on the number of customers but on providing them with a unique experience. The purpose is to make it all fun, from start to finish – the company wants to deliver sweets with a personal, creative touch.
Bea Gateste’s idea was born at her birthday party in 2020. The cake order was cancelled at the last minute, and Bea had to make one herself. The guests were pleasantly surprised because the pastry and cream combinations were not what they were used to.
And so, by making sweets for friends, Bea’s talent was out in the world for everyone to taste a special culinary experience.
Management structure and governance
The freelance activity is for-profit. As such, only one person does all activities connected to the business. From time to time, about every three months or so, Beatrice gives away 15% of her profit to those in need.
Principles of work, objectives and activities
The main principle is to satisfy the customer, putting effort and love to deliver sweets close to perfection. Bea wants to stand out by making special dishes – from basil-infused cheesecake to vegan-ising every recipe that you can think of. While the main activity is baking, it includes much more than that – testing different recipes, researching innovative ideas and ingredients, ensuring perfect execution, and collaborating with customers about special requests.
Target groups
The target group is not based on age, but on people who want to have tasty, dreamy sweets in the comfort of their own homes, given the fact that Timisoara does not have such initiatives. However, if it needs to be put in numbers, it would be between 25 and 35, as Bea is within this age limit.
Innovation
Bea wants to stay close to her customers even after ordering, as their feedback is what makes the business better each day that passes. An innovative practice that the business cares about is making recipes from scratch with the clients. This way, they have a cake that they cannot get anywhere else, and the business gets to put their personal touch. Collaborating with customers, as a service, is not something that is commonly practised by other bakers. That is what makes Bea’s cakes stand out.
Impact and Evaluation
Thanks to orders from customers, the business formed a beautiful community, full of enthusiasts.
Since the products meet the customers’ needs, they ask to develop in other areas of cooking. Because of this opportunity, Bea is now hosting private cooking parties where one can learn to bake and taste it all.
Recommendations
Regarding the cultural context in this business, Bea Gateste recommends people use the best local ingredients.
The implementation of tradition is a significant part of the whole process. Using both the old and the new, Bea can create endless possibilities for all client types and tastes. If a similar practice is implemented in another country, a recommendation would be to take ideas from the culture and cuisine there. When preparing innovative recipes common within the community, the baker is providing people with a new experience of something already known and loved by them.
Lessons Learned
While developing and growing the business, Bea learned to work and perform under pressure. Since last-minute changes to order are allowed, remaining flexible was key. Additionally, innovation takes time, and as such, accepting failure has been an integral part of the journey.
References
Bea Gateste Facebook profile.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.