What I have as a business now, started as a hobby - CEO I luv Desserts

By Kemi Mobuse - Monday, June 13, 2016

I remembered the first time, I had my first taste of dessert at an event right here in Lagos. I filled my tummy and ate to a stupor. That, when it was time to go, my sister practically had to drag me from the hall, with me casting one longing look at the chocolate truffle I was still planning on stuffing down.

Coming across I Luv Dessert's brand on Instagram, you should have heard me give a lot of oohs and ahhs and scrolling further down her page, I was convinced that one look at them is enough to convince guests at the event, to attempt to gobble up their plate.

My interview with the very personable lady behind the brand was really enlightening, and it makes for a good read.....

KMB: Can we meet you?

I Luv Desserts Ng: Everyone calls me Pj, I wear many hats, I am a wife, mum, soccer & tennis lover. I love to travel and dine out. I am a budding pastry chef.

KMB: What do you do?

I Luv Desserts Ng: I love to say I am aspiring pastry chef... aspiring because I know I still have quite a bit to learn from the pros. I make sumptuous desserts, sweet treats, breads and bread products.

KMB: What inspired your starting your own dessert brand?

I Luv Desserts Ng: What I have as a business now, started as a hobby. When I decided it was time for me to move on from my previous job, I wanted to do something different, something I enjoyed doing. I love to travel and I loved watching how pro chefs turned simple ingredients into fabulous stuff. I wanted to explore that. Unfortunately, there weren't places to learn core desserts so I learnt basic baking techniques in Nigeria and then went to France to start as a beginner where I learnt the basics of desserts. I came back and started perfecting my own recipes. I Luv Desserts was borne... over the years, we have evolved from desserts catering for events. In addition to desserts catering, we have come up a lot more things to do with desserts, ranging from our own international standard frozen cookie dough line, to breads and bread products, training school to even procurement of wow factor display stands for desserts.

KMB: Why the choice of dessert in particular?

I Luv Desserts Ng: I chose to focus on desserts because, when I started out, there were a lot of cake makers and designers but only a handful of people doing "proper" desserts as I had learnt to make them. So basically, it was an untapped market, one which, I wanted to take advantage of. It was really hard convincing people that there was more to desserts than cake and ice cream then and also people weren't willing to pay for proper desserts. But today, there are lots and lots of people doing desserts.

KMB: Do you make for special orders, cater or have an outlet?

I Luv Desserts Ng: Our desserts are only made on order for several reasons

1. Desserts have short life span, it is important to us to serve only the best
2. We understand people have special dietary needs so we try to accommodate that.
3. People often come up with special requests and varying degrees of customization, so we need to keep that in mind.

Dessert catering remains our no 1 passion.. But people who preorder also pick up from our store. Presently, we have one store but we are hoping to launch several more soon

KMB: What do you aim to achieve with your brand in say 5 years?

I Luv Desserts Ng: In 5 Years, with God on our side, we hope to have become a household name in West Africa with a line of products soon to be launched. We are looking to launch more stores and training academy and offer internationally certified courses.

KMB: What can you say separate you from others in the field?

I Luv Desserts Ng: What makes I Luv Desserts different, *chuckles * - At I Luv Desserts, we are focused on consistently churning out tasty and well presented desserts. We are able to achieve this, by staying in tune with the growing trends in the culinary world.

KMB: Any advice for upcoming entrepreneurs?

I Luv Desserts Ng: For upcoming entrepreneurs, I say this every time I am asked, there's no short cut. Consistency is key. You have to believe in yourself & your dreams, there will be challenges & naysayers who don't share your vision, do not be deterred. Always celebrate your little milestones; it will encourage you to do even better.

KMB: Lastly, how can you be contacted?

I Luv Desserts Ng: We can be contacted via
Email- iluvdesserts@ymail.com, hello@iluvdessertsng.com
Instagram -iluvdessertsng
Facebook -I Luv Desserts ltd
Twitter -@pejuu