Meet Dunya Ashraf, a 22-year old passionate baker from Islamabad. She is the Founder of Dunus Oven, a local business that offers its customers a wide range of fresh, homemade donuts including caramel lotus, Boston cream, peanut butter and jelly, Nutella and plain glazed! In this exclusive interview, we get familiar with Dunya and her vision for her brainchild brand – Dunus Oven.
Give our readers your background, and what pulled you towards baking?
I started cooking when I was fourteen, and for the past seven years I have been trying out different cuisines. During my studies, I didn’t get to spend much time in the kitchen however, amid the COVID-19 lockdown, I had plenty of time to get my hands on one thing. So, I started baking and that is how I got into it.
You are headlining Dunus Oven. What made you decide to start this business?
I would say it was more of a miracle for me. I never really planned to start something but one day, a friend of mine suggested that I make an Instagram page just to see the response I got. So from that day until now, I have made more than thousand donuts and I plan on making more!
Why specifically choose donuts out of all the other baking desserts?
I started off making different desserts but it was hard for me to manage all on my own, so I narrowed down my menu. I started working only on donuts since they had the best feedback.
What donut flavors do you offer? What are your signature items?
We have ten unique flavors in our menu and the best seller is the caramel lotus donut.
Do you have a team to work with or is it just you?
Up until now, it is just me doing everything on my own.
Has your family been supportive of Dunus Oven?
Yes – it wasn’t possible without the support of my family and friends.
How have people responded to your business so far?
I have been working for the past six months now and the response is very positive. People have now started to compare my donuts with other brands that are way bigger than I am, and that kind of surprises me.
How do you maintain a check and balance of your customers who may not have had a good experience with your brand?
Till now, most of my customers have been satisfied but those who didn’t have a good experience, I have either refunded their money or have given them complimentary donuts to compensate.
Do you feel that social media is helping local businesses like yours to shine?
Yes, of course! There is no place like social media for a social startup to grow.
What would you like to say to all the passionate bakers out there who are trying to start a new business?
I would say it is not impossible at all! Just keep working hard, improve your products, take feedback from your customers and stay consistent.
The writer is a model and an actor. He can be reached at [email protected] and Tweets at @HaiderRifaat