Venata Joyram: Four “cuptures” under one roof

34-year old Venata has taken up a challenge: to blend four cultures into one product. Her coffee shop in Quatre Bornes is an evidence that she has met the challenge. The luminous décor, calm and serene atmosphere, makes this an unavoidable stop-over.  After spending 15 years in Paris, where she used to own a coffee shop dedicated to cupcake lovers, Venata returned to her home country. For the previous five years, she has been serving her French customers with the best cupcakes money could buy. When setting foot in Mauritius, she had a vision: opening her own coffee shop. Her first venture was in Bagatelle Shopping Mall, in fact, these centres would be her primary base of operation. “I have a passion for everything trendy. I love cakes. It all started after a trip to New York where I discovered cupcakes. I was mesmerised by the different colours and flavours. Out of curiosity, I bought my first recipe book in London and I started my journey with cupcakes,” she shares. Venata wanted to share her passion with the locals, and started offering a range of cupcakes. It soon picked up and conquered the hearts of Mauritians.

First cake at the age of 10

Venata first experience with cooking came at the age of ten, when she baked a French cake known as “Quatre Quarts.” Baking cakes is a means to relax. Surprisingly, she never undertook any professional studies in pastry-making. “My mother was passionate about pastry. Maybe, I got it from her,” she shares. Initially, she started medical studies in France but this field did not appeal to her. “I spent two years in medical school but I did not like it. I was more creative and wanted something else in life.” That’s how she took courses in marketing and finance. When it comes to cooking, it is mostly self-taught. Veneta has a collection of over 100 pastry books.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"16218","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-27345 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"251","height":"353","alt":"venata-1"}}]]Wide range of products

Venata’s coffee shop is a museum of cupcakes with vivid colours and aromas overloading your senses. She has managed to blend four different cultures: American, British, French and Mauritian. “This increases the probability that a visitor will find something he likes,” she avers. There are 20 flavours of cupcakes such as red velvet, Nutella, peanut butter and others. The recipes are her own creations. “Mastering the art of cupcake making was challenging. I started with basics such as vanilla and chocolate. Later on, I added new flavours as I gained more experience. Hitting the right recipe takes months in the making,” says the businesswoman. One of her main innovations are high quality and well designed theme cupcakes. “We bring to our clients a unique offer. We produce what they really want. Our cakes tend to be one-offs. Most of the time we produce customised cakes,” she says. Venata has introduced English tea-time between 2 pm and 5 pm. “Mauritians have welcomed this concept. Our clients are young professionals who want to spend quality time with their friends. They come from different regions of the island.”

Expansion to Europe For the businesswoman, the sky is the limit. Her vision is to expand her business locally and taking on the European market. “I want to introduce a range of home-made products. I will try to make them affordable while providing high quality products. My experience in France can help me in his endeavour,” says Venata.

Challenges faced

Her journey through entrepreneurship was not rosy. “In Paris, the pastry business is very different. It was tough to make a name there. Making a French taste a pastry coming from the United States required hard work and perseverance. French pastries are a tradition. However, with time, I was able to carve out a place in the industry,” she says. The real challenge came when she chose to set-up shop in Mauritius. Price remains the main consideration of locals. “Mauritians like to have the best quality products at the lowest possible price. So, we had to maintain the quality of our products while cutting our prices. We do our best to please our clientèle,” she adds.