Startup Story
Fátima Suliman is the founder and CEO of the company Cookie World. The company is based in Maputo Mozambique. She is an aspiring pastry chef. Fátima's business is focused on decorated sugar cookies and macarons mostly for parties and events. She founded the company 3 years ago in 2018. Fátima believes in women empowerment and her employees are women. She is hoping to open a pastry shop soon.
LoA chatted to founder Fátima Suliman this month to learn more.
What does your company do?
We sell decorated sugar cookies and our main focus is macarons. We also make other kinds of baked goods for events. We are now expanding our business to the French pastry area.
“We always strive to make every order unique. And it becomes easier when you sell something almost no-one does.”
“We are hoping to open a pastry shop soon. Call it dreaming big but we want Cookie World to become a macaron franchise.”
What inspired you to start your company?
Growing up I always enjoyed baking. I started to bake when I was 12. At the time, my aunt had a cake business and I used to always help her decorate. When I was 19 years old I decided to pursue my dream of baking and decided to take small orders, but I never realized I would go in a whole other direction. When I tried macarons for the first time I decided to bake them too, and when I saw the science behind baking just a single macaron it made me go after it even more. And the passion for French pastry just came naturally behind it.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We always strive to make every order unique. And it becomes easier when you sell something almost no-one does. As we expand our business to specializing in French pastry we are looking forward to having new products and something different, so when people look for something unique they go straight to us.
Tell us a little about your team
There is me, Fátima Suliman, and I am the founder and CEO of Cookie world. I work alongside my sister, Sarah Suliman, who is my rock and always there for me, helping in every aspect possible. It's safe to say that Sarah is an indispensable and very important member of our team.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
We started as something very small. We used to bake regular tea cookies. Then we had an amazing idea of making personalized bonbon cookies and it became famous almost instantly. We had orders every day. But when many people decided to make the same thing it was not unique anymore. It felt like fate when at the same time we tried macarons for the first time and it was amazing. And since it was something new here we decided to give it a go. But it was not so easy because the science behind it is pretty big. Maybe that pushed us even more to go for it. And after we nailed it, the passion for French pastry just came naturally. As for our love for sugar cookies that came a long time ago. We decided to explore that market even more because it was something new too here. A long story short, we really like to bring new things and be unique. We do come from an entrepreneurial background but not in the same area.
“When I tried macarons for the first time I decided to bake them too, and when I saw the science behind baking just a single macaron it made me go after it even more.”
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
We are hoping to open a pastry shop soon. We are already creating a business plan and preparing all the details necessary to have our first physical shop. Call it dreaming big but we want Cookie World to become a macaron franchise.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Client satisfaction is what we strive to achieve. They are the ones who make us grow even more and seeing our company grow is the best feeling ever.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Go after your dreams. It doesn't matter if they are small, it doesn't matter if they are not famous. Make them famous. Try to be unique. Don't go on copying the next person you see. Make your business unique. That's halfway through people recognizing you.
Contact or follow Cookie World
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL fatima98suliman@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it….
We love seeing women entrepreneurs thinking big by taking their passion, expertise and specialist knowledge to a whole new level in business. Fátima Suliman is doing just that, turning her love for the art of French patisserie into a niche business that is growing its fan base in Mozambique. She understands the power of differentiating yourself in the marketplace and is doing just that with her luxury macaron offering, bringing a taste of Paris to Mozambique’s patisserie lovers. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa