Sweet Success in Martmoura

With support, entrepreneurial woman creates a thriving bakery

Daniela is a 38 year old mother of three from Martmoura, Lebanon. For her, her family, and many residents of this northern Lebanese village, agriculture is a central part of daily life and Martmoura has become a hub of agricultural trade. Every year the village is host to a number of events and in 2005, Daniela began making baked goods from her home to sell on these occasions. Her treats were a hit and it was not long before the orders began to pour in and the small enterprise quickly outgrew her family kitchen. The new entrepreneur knew she needed to find a larger work space to accommodate the ever-increasing volume of orders, but she lacked the initial capital needed to invest in a proper bakery.

A turning point came when Daniéla applied for a loan from the USAID-funded VEGA/IESC Lebanon Investment in Microfinance Program (LIM) program. Working with one of the program’s partners, the microfinance institute Coopérative Libanaise Pour le Développement (CLD), Daniéla was awarded a $15,000 loan to rent and equip a professional baking space. Her bakery flourished! Monthly profits have increased by over 65% from $700 before her loan to more than $1200, and the business continues to expand. Daniéla has enlisted the help of her husband and sister to process orders during busy seasons.

[The LIM loan] helped improve my family’s financial status. Thank you LIM program and CLD for encouraging me to expand my business!

Dani鬡 Boulos – Entrepreneur

Her bakery has become such a success that Daniéla plans both to increase production of her existing recipes and add new ones. Eventually Daniela hopes to purchase the space she is now renting and begin a retail product line called ‘Dany’s Sweets’. Daniela is grateful to the LIM program for its help in her entrepreneurial endeavors.