What started as a side hustle for extra income quickly turned into an overnight success for Cape Town baker Emma Choice, who is coining it with her customised mini cakes.
When the self-taught baker founded No Bad Days, she never thought she would become fully operational and booked solid every month for the past 19 months.
“I wanted to become more independent financially, and this business just blew up from there, and now I am doing it full-time,” she said.
Since opening in May 2021, Choice has been sold out back-to-back with everyone yearning to get their hands on her baked goods.
“It’s been incredible to see the support I have received from people, especially having returning customers,” she said.
“I never expected it to become so big at this pace. It has also been stressful to make all these big decisions on my own,” she added.
Choice, however, only has one item on the menu, and that is lunchbox cakes. The lunchbox cake trend is a mini cake which originated in South Korea. The cakes are packaged in takeaway boxes, which makes them perfect for gifting.
Although she has had no professional training, Choice works alone and manages a load of baking, admin and logistics all on her own.
Choice said the inspiration for creating lunchbox cakes came from scrolling on Instagram and Pinterest one day.
“I thought it was such a cool idea. I have a sweet tooth, so I love cake and any dessert,” she said.
“After each birthday party, the cake is always the one thing that’s left in excess. After the lockdown, people were having smaller gatherings, which seemed like the perfect solution,” she added.
Choice works by only accepting orders from 10 clients daily and catering for nearly 200 clients per month.
“Since opening, I have not had a month where I have not been fully booked. The support from clients and other small business owners has been amazing,” she said.
The 25-year-old baker hails from Durbanville and it is from her family home that she runs No Bad Days.
Each lunchbox cake that she makes is different as clients get to customise it. At the end of each month, a new order link is created and shared on her Instagram account (@nobaddays.za).
Her pricing ranges from R110 to R140, depending on how detailed the designs are. The business offers collections in Durbanville and a tiered delivery pricing dependent on the area.
When she was only 10 years old, her grandmother, June Choice, taught her how to bake.
“Food has always been a big part of my family and so my love of baking started at a young age,” she said.
“Baking brings a lot of people together and I love that.”
Before starting her business, she worked as a programme facilitator for an NPO named Down with Dough which operates as a bakery.
“I learnt a lot of skills from that, especially how to manage time and run a business,” she said.
Choice said load shedding had been an uphill battle for her business.
“I don’t have a generator, so I try to plan around it as much as possible. Thankfully, I work from home,” she said.
“I try to bake when the power is on and decorate when it is off, but it’s still very frustrating,” she added.
“I have had one or two occasions when I lost a batch of cake.”
She is considering finding someone to assist her and a bigger space in the future.
One of her clients, Cayleigh Brown, said she has always had a pleasant and convenient booking experience with No Bad Days.
“I think the price is incredible if you look at what you are getting. You get to create a cake with a flavour of your choice and the design allows for more personalisation,” she said.
“From start to finish, it’s an exciting and fulfilling experience. Emma has created price brackets to fit every budget and need, and a lunchbox cake is cute for any occasion.
“Her bookings are always opened in advance, which allows me to plan and decide on my design. Creatively she always exceeds my expectations.”
