Mombasa ice-cream maker adds Italian flavour to his menu

Ahmed Bahaidar links his rise from “a simple clerk” to owner of five firms to restlessness, travel and a special ability to see and grab business opportunities.

Just like entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson says he keeps a notebook nearby for jotting down useful ideas, Mr Bahaidar says interacting with people means interacting with great ideas.

The latest addition to his Buraq Group of Companies, Gelato Divino, was born out of curiosity when he visited Dubai to buy machines for making ice-cream and sought out a respected name in the industry.

This is how he was referred to Gelato Divino, who have a list of 24 flavours, including mango, banana, strawberry and kiwi.

“When I tasted their product, I knew that was the first time I was having the real taste of ice-cream. I bought the equipment and also returned home with the managing director of Alqubaisi (the owners of Gelato Divino) who is also a chef to prepare the ice-cream when we opened and also train my chefs to produce the same quality,” he said.

They sealed a partnership deal to open a branch in Kenya.

Mr Bahaidar, who doubles as the group chief executive, got a diploma in accountancy after leaving high school, got hired as a clerk at Kenya Calcium Product in 1983 and left in 2007 as a director of the firm.

“I am an adventurer and during my time at the company, I realised that there was a lot of potential in business. In 2007 I decided to take a risk and leave the comfort zone as director of the company and start my own business.

“Leaving Calcium Products was a move I dreaded but I did it anyway because life is all about taking risks. I started with a capital of Sh500,000, and a small network of people,” said the 53-year-old entrepreneur.

His first company was a ticketing company called Al-Buraq Hajj and Umra started because of his love for travel. He also opened a tours and travel company since the two businesses are in the same sector.

Savoy Real Estate Company was his third business. A property developer in Mombasa, it also offers real estate consultancy.

Mr Bahaidar told the Business Daily that he has never known rest, saying a wise person should keep trying one thing after another to survive in a fast-changing business world driven by forces of demand and supply and consumer taste.

Determination, he says, helped him to climb the ladder from employee to become a director of a company and get the steeliness necessary to survive in the rough and tumble world of business.

A travel enthusiast, the investor says meeting new people opens up the world of ideas to him, but these tips should be halal, or permissible in his faith.

Nicolas Reincke, a chef at the firm, says most ice-creams are industrial products that are either hard or soft, with a lot of fat and artificial ingredients.

Short shelf-life

What sets Gelato Divino apart, he says, is the natural ingredients found locally like fruit and fresh milk.

“The ice-cream we make here can never be sold in a supermarket because we do not use preservatives to give it a longer shelf life; the longest it can stay is five days. And it is 50 per cent less fattening because we use everything natural with no sugar,” said Reincke.

Gelato Divino, which was started five years, has become popular resulting in fast growth and leading to it having 35 outlets in UAE with sister companies like SkinJam, Konad Stamping Nail Art, Caffe Divino, Ollin Arm candy, Mamma Italia, and Gelato Divino Twist.

So why start such a business in Mombasa when others are counting losses due to the dwindling tourist numbers?

“I believe that in business you have to weigh the risks and success and to me the success outweighs the risks. The situation so far has been calm and I hope it will continue so,” he said.

The Coast has been in focus, partly with the rising security threats linked to terrorist attacks that has hit tourism, one of Kenya’s main forex earners that employees more than 500,000 people directly.

Customer feedback

Without giving dates, Mr Bahaidar says he is eyeing a wider presence in Kenya, expansion into other East African countries like Tanzania, and Central Africa.

The interview was interrupted several times as Mr Bahaidar sought customer feedback on the ice-cream flavours and service.

“We do things with a passion so that we get customer appreciation,” he said.