In 1984, Moses Joseph and Alina Naidyala began baking traditional bread and vetkoek to supplement their income.

Today they bring the aroma of freshly baked bread to Windhoek, Opuwo and Outapi, and their three Fresh n’ Bake Bakery and Market’s employ 45 people. “If you had told me years ago that this would be us, I would not have believed it,” says Joseph. “My wife and I have spent so many years working, waking up early before most people, to make sure that bread is ready by the time they are up. We worked hard and prayed hard. Today we are blessed beyond measure and are a testimony of the greatness of God.”

In 1985 Joseph began working for a local bakery. It closed down in 1990 but he managed to gain employment in another bakery, where he worked from 1991 to 1992. That also closed down. Joseph was undeterred and spent the next six years working in a supermarket bakery, after which he worked in a service station bakery until 2002. During those years he improved his skills by enrolling himself in training courses in bread baking and in confectionaries.

In 2001, the pair started Fresh n’ Bake Bakery and Market at their home in Katutura, using a handmade oven. Joseph started managing it full time in 2003 and also began to give baking training in his community. He also trained his wife in more sophisticated ways of baking.

The bakery supplied bread to Okuryangava and surrounding communities in the informal settlements and other areas of Katutura. The location of their bakery became the couples’ competitive advantage. Taking baked bread out of the city center allowed them to expand their business to Opuwo and Outapi. Today Naidyala manages the Windhoek operation and Joseph manages Opuwo and Outapi.

Armed with years of experience, the couple approached the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) for a loan to purchase land, build a bigger and improved bakery near their home in Okuryangava in Katutura. The loan was approved.

At the inauguration of the new bakery, DBN CEO David Nuyoma said, “DBN is happy to be associated with Fresh n’ Bake Bakery and Market and encourages fellow Namibian entrepreneurs to seek out necessary and practical solutions and services that can respond to obvious gaps in their communities. This will enable entrepreneurs to create wealth, and improve livelihoods, while serving communities and in the process creating jobs.”