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Only strong determination and indomitable spirit has made him what he is today. Despite formidable obstacles to his way he has never given up. He began it from scratch to become one of the brand bakery food business producers in the country. Everyone knows the name ‘Haque Bread and Food Products’, the company that took its name from Md Rezaul Hoque Rezu, the owner. Once, everything that he owned was burnt to ashes but he was not a man to concede defeat. He began it all over again to grow his business out of the ashes and now he, who started only with producing bread, has around 150 confectionery items to his credit. He talked about the experiences of his life with The Business Post’s Muhamad Ayub Ali.
Why are you taking the bakery food business?
Most of our paternal predecessors, including my father, used to do bakery food business. My father had had a dealership of bakery food business since 1966. He set up a manual bakery in 1977 named’ Haque Bread’.
I grew up seeing the bakery food business. I thought about the bakery food business when I was a college student.
Tell us about your journey as a bakery food businessman
It was my father’s motivation and my eagerness that involved me into the bakery food business after my study was over. I began my journey on 3 July, 1995 in this business.
At the beginning, it was very difficult for me to run a bakery food business let alone draw any profit.
Then I tried to observe what the giant bakery food makers did in their production process. I found big bakery food makers using technology to boost up their production and then I told my father to arrange some extra money to buy modern machinery.
My father gave me Tk80, 000 by selling our agricultural land in 1997 as he found me enthusiastic about the business. I bought a Bread Mixture Machine from Chattogram for Tk65, 000. It was the transitional period of my bakery food business. I was then lagging behind in the market competition again in 2000.
I saw that the main competitor of mine in the market using the Bread Making Machine of Nagpal Brothers, a biggest south Asian manufacturing company of bakery and confectionery machines.
Then I went to India with one of my friends and I brought some equipment to produce bread, butter and confectionery items including High Speed Bread Mixture. After that I have never had to look back.
What is the present status of your bakery food business?
Now I am producing nearly 150 items of bakery food including bread, biscuit and confectionary items. I am the sole bread supplier of the country’s biggest and top hospitals including DMC, PG, CMH and Medford.
Around 500 workers are working and I have a capacity of producing nearly 10 tonnes of wheat.
Around 100 of the outlets of Haque Bread and Sweets are in Dhaka. If conglomerates didn’t invest in the bakery food sector my yearly turnover would now be more than Tk50 crore.
What were the challenges you had to face at the initial stage and what is the condition now?
A total of 16 departments of the government are monitoring the bakery food makers. They include BSTI, Consumer Right Authority and City Corporation which are hard nuts to crack for the bakery food makers.
It is very difficult to follow the directives of the each department. Monitoring system should come under one-stop service for the sake of the bakery food industry.
In 2008, my factory was totally burned in a fire in whic I lost Tk1 crore. However, I was able to turn around with the help of my kith and kin.
In future where would you like to see yourself?
I have dreamt of my products being available across the country after 10 years and my showrooms in all divisional and district headquarters if fortune smiles upon me as the communication system of our country is getting better day by day.
What is your advice for new entrepreneur in bakery food business?
At first, they have to stick to the business for 24 hours because it is the business of round-the-clock production.
Secondly, they have to select an overcrowded area to build up bakery.
Thirdly they will have mental strength to cope up with many challenges due to the rules and regulations of the country.
It is very potential business if anyone can come with big investment. But it is very risky for small investors. One should not come to the bakery food business with small investment.
