KUALA LUMPUR: It is the most hectic time of the year for home-based baker, Aniszarifah Abusamah, even with the ongoing Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).
The 28-year-old has been working tirelessly since before Ramadan, with only one helper, to prepare Hari Raya cookies on top of her regular production of the highly-requested Italian cream-filled dough balls, Bombolone (also known as Bombolini).
When the MCO was imposed in March, she was left with only one in-house assistant, as her two other helpers live 10km away from her home, which is the production centre.
"I panicked thinking about my business strategy, it was either to put it on hold or scrape through it.
"But, since everything was planned ahead of time and bakery supplies were stocked in advance, it was best to proceed with the initial plan despite the limited workforce," she added.
And her gamble paid off.
"To date, we have prepared more than 850 jars of premium cookies which have been distributed to our customers in stages. And we have a few more jars to complete to reach our target of a thousand jars this Raya," she said.
Using The Manis brand, Aniszafirah offers four types of premium Raya cookies, namely Almond Choc Tarts, Sea Salt Choc Chip Cookies, German Cookies and Cornflakes Cookies.
Based in Bandar Sri Damansara, The Manis also produces at least 250 pieces of flavoured Bombolone daily, which is her main business since she started baking full-time in 2019.
"Before I quit my four-year career as a town planner at a consultant company, I did part-time baking, taking orders for brownies. However, due to my passion, I committed to baking permanently," she said, adding that she now has three helpers working for her, and three delivery runners.
So far, it has been smooth sailing for Aniszafirah, except for when her oven broke down, and due to the MCO, the repairman was unable to come.
"There was no time to waste, so I quickly decided to purchase a new oven from a local electrical shop that offered same-day delivery," she said.
She added that the workload was lightened after the CMCO was enforced on May 4, as her staff could travel to work to help with the production.
For delivery, she said she obtained permission from the police to make drop offs within Selangor and the Klang Valley. However, for now, she does not encourage self-pick up.
The Manis, which has been operating for less than two years, advertises its confectionary business through its Instagram page, which currently has more than 26,000 followers.
"Sales have been overwhelming since the MCO, and I am expecting to make triple in revenue this Ramadan," she said.