Modern Bakeries
Wadi is by no means the only company in Egypt that is providing that ray of hope. Take Modern Bakeries, for example. Established in 1997 by CEO Amir El Helaly and his father, Medhat, who serves as chairman of technical affairs, Modern Bakeries revolutionized bread making in Egypt by creating products that meet high standards for both taste and hygiene.
Distributing under the brand name Rich Bake, the company now offers eight different products, including bread for toasting, hamburger buns, soft rolls and "Petit Pain" bread. It produces some 80,000 packets (loaves of bread, packages of buns, etc.) per day from its factory in Cairo’s 6th October City.
Not only did Modern Bakeries find a niche in the market, it also capitalized on the opportunity by creating a solid infrastructure and following one key business principle. Said El Helaly, "Our success is built on consistency – consistency of product, in distribution, service – in every element of our business."
One way to ensure that consistency is by staying in tune with the customers, store managers who distribute product, and, of course, the employees themselves.
El Helaly places considerable emphasis on employees. The company has a set of values that include, according to El Helaly, "team spirit and ownership, quality, leadership, safety and hygiene, and integrity." These values are prominently posted on the factory floor and in the lobby.
In addition to human resources, Modern Bakeries also knows marketing. Just now beginning to utilize media advertising, the company has relied more on point of purchase promotion. "In the beginning," said El Helaly, "we went out and gave our big outlets free samples. The stores pushed hard to help us. Now," he added, "the customers are becoming more sophisticated, so we have to learn more about who our customers are and what they want. The key, however, is keeping in contact."
Modern Bakeries has become an "upper-mid-sized company" in the Egyptian marketplace according to El Helaly. It began with seven trucks and now uses 45 to 47, 32 of which are company owned. As for the future, El Helaly sees the export market as his next big challenge.
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