DESPITE the heat, the long stretch of summer means that a number of special occasions are lined up including weddings, births and engagement parties. As part of the ongoing drive for women to establish and run their own small businesses, a section of this group is banking on their culinary skills to make some tasty profits by catering to events. This is hardly an innovative initiative, as women in the Kingdom have traditionally been heavily involved in the catering business. Sabah Bougari is one such businesswoman, who has spent seven years providing traditional Saudi food to families. “I started this business some time back because my friends used to ask me to cook traditional Saudi food as well as international dishes like Kabili and Biryani and homemade pastries and desserts for them,” she said. Indeed, most women in the catering business can probably trace their roots in the field to cooking for friends and family and then branching out commercially. According to Azza AbuBakar, a sociologist at King Abdul Aziz University, recent studies show that a whopping 30 per cent of Saudi women own or conduct small business, often home-based. “What I see today is a tremendous spin in the market; Saudi girls are invading homes and creating names for themselves,” she remarked. Educational institutions are churning out male and female graduates in roughly equal numbers today with equivalent qualifications, but women make up only 20 per cent of the national workforce, creating a gap in the workplace. Getting involved in the ever-booming catering business is both an easy and convenient option for these young graduates, and many have started cleverly, by identifying a niche in the market and striving to fill it. Shroog Abdulmalik and Maha Mohammed are the joint owners of a small business focusing on supplying bite-size food items to events - called Mini Bites - in an attempt to provide a service for those clients who do not require proper dishes and fit with all occasions. “When we were at university, we liked cooking together and we invented new recipes by mixing established ones, like cupcake tarts and canapes,” remarked 29-year-old Maha. “We realized that our cooking was accepted and enjoyed by the people around us, so we decided to set up a small business.” Her friend Shroog explained that setting up a small business like Mini Bites allows owners time to create their own ideas and provide a different product than those found in the ‘market.' Another favorite with catering clients is homemade pickles and jams, which Amal and Lamya, two sisters in their mid-fifties have been providing via their small business for two years. “Saudi families like to serve pickles with every meal, so we focused on producing a range of new pickles and supplying them in bazaars and exhibitions,” explained Lamya Hussain, the joint owner of Home Chili. Her sister Amal Hussain remarked that they only use fresh fruit in their jams, unlike those offered in supermarkets that are full of preservatives and artificial sweeteners and flavors. “We miss the old days when our mother used to cook everything at home, and use fresh fruits in jams,” said Amal, indicating the reason why the two sisters were inspired to establish Home Chili. Home-based caterers are attractive to most people because of the perception that the food will be natural, delicious and made in a hygienic environment. “When I buy homemade food, I am sure of the cleanliness and quality of it,” remarked Ghada Hassan, a teacher. “I also do so because I encourage the concept of working from home for those women who need money or financial dependence, and can't find work opportunities.” According to her, young Saudi women, in particular, are trying to spread their wings and expand their creativity to match the outside world. “It begins with a small idea, and suddenly you find yourself applying it and the next thing you know, you have your own premises and finances,” she said. There are challenges to setting up a shop, of course, if and when these businesswomen feel the need to expand their business into separate premises. For one, it is very difficult to obtain a license, particularly for a women-only store. Moreover, there is always the question of obtaining finances, especially for purchasing material and rent. Other popular options One evident trend has been for female Saudi graduates to branch out into fields that are markedly different from their degrees. Dua'a Gurban is a 23-year-old Micro-biology graduate who has recently taken an intensive jewelry design course and plans to set up her own business in that field. She's also not willing to work away from home unless it involves her own business. Another such graduate is Dalia Banjar, a 26-year old graduate in Nutrition who now works from home as a make-up artist for brides. “It all started as a hobby, but today I'm happy when I get requests for bridal make-up,” she remarked. “Today I'm charging between 1,000 and 2,500 Saudi riyals per occasion, and it's much better than the salary I used to earn.” She thinks that all women need in the small business sector is some publicity, often through word-of-mouth, and they can set off. “I started working three years ago and in the last six months, I earned more as a make-up artist than what I got after two years in a government job.” She added that she is now waiting for the holiday season to fully set off, like her counterparts in the catering business, to really get the business up and running.
