Claudia Marengo’s – small business yet big impact

Aged 64 years, Claudia narrates her journey from an employee in a factory to managing a full-fledged catering business. Claudia left her job at a local textile factory roughly ten years ago and joined the production and sale of fish balls, or boulettes in the Mauritian jargon. Circumstances built up in a certain way that she had to forgo that job to take care of her ailing mother-in-law. Willing to supplement the family economy, Claudia started making pickles at home, with an aim to sell those to people in her neighborhood. One thing led to another, and Claudia resumed the production of boulettes, but this time within her home. Witnessing a fruitful gain from the sale, the idea of creating a catering business of her own seemed lucrative. Hence, within ten years, Claudia has established a small but reputable catering business, fending for herself and her family.

According to Claudia, her business took off well due to a lack of competition in her neighborhood. She establishes that she is the only one in her locality who manages such a type of catering business. Her growth can also be attributed to the positive reviews of her work garners, which spreads by viva-voce. As one of the judges asked about the steps undertaken to attract customers, Claudia described how word-of-mouth has been crucial to the development of her business. She stated that a hypothetical increase from the 10^th to an 11^th customer is greatly due to the positive experience of the former customer. Claudia also provides complimentary dessert or sauces to accompany large orders at her own costs. This strategic plan does not only attract but also retains more customers. As Claudia says, it is very important to spoil the customers, or in her own words, “bizin konne gâte ban clients.”

As of now, Claudia operates in her house, where she has a special kitchen solely devoted to the preparation of food for her catering business. Her most popular foods are Hakkien, boulettes, and other appetizers which are ordered by small restaurants or snack bars. She also works with a local company named ‘Groupe Abaim’, where she is responsible for the provision of food during their annual reunions. To curb down repetitive travel costs, she purchases all dry products for a month’s use at once. Concerning fresh vegetables, there is a door-to-door service, whereby a vegetable-seller drops the required greens at her residence. The process of production is explicitly detailed through a flow of pictures in her presentation, which highlights a clean and hygienic working space. Claudia’s dedication to the provision of safe food is also recognized by her customers. For instance, Groupe Abaim applauds her commitment to providing well-packaged and balanced food and is a regular customer.

Similarly, Claudia’s work ethics are such that the customer’s dietary preferences are at the heart of her work. She is very flexible, willing to accommodate as per the needs of customers, even if that may involve the preparation of new, and most often unknown dishes. However, she does require that orders are placed at least 1-2 weeks in advance. Post-delivery of the ordered foods, Claudia voluntarily contacts her customers to gain a general sense of feedback. While orders may vary from week to week, her most stable sources of income are from the sale of boulettes, which seem to be continuously in demand; ranging from small restaurants and from her work with Groupe Abaim. Her largest order was, in fact, for Groupe Abaim, which has been the preparation of food for 200 people. Claudia shared that her son is an employee at Groupe Abaim which facilitates her access to the company’s plan for the year, enabling her to take necessary predispositions to carry out any order from them.

To better manage the flow of cash, Claudia has a proper budgeting plan, whereby she tries to decrease additional costs as much as possible. She mentions how participating in the Gender Links Training Program has helped her monumentally, especially in terms of financial management, keeping her own accounts book and better managing the flow of capital. From past experiences, Claudia necessitates a down-payment before taking any order, assuring her financial security. After sales, Claudia keeps the profits aside, part of which is used for reinvestment. In fact, she testifies that keeping track of finances has enabled her to invest in the purchase of new kitchen recipients. As she described, the use of culinary machines, for instance, a Cabbage Shredder, greatly facilitates her task and saves a lot of time.

Starting from scratch, from the production of pickles to sustaining her own catering business, Claudia believes that there is still a long way to go. With Mauritius facing large increases in Diabetes, Cancer, and Blood Pressure cases, she wants to change her style of work, decreasing the number of fried foods that she cooks, and increasing the sale of vegetables and steamed foods. Determined not to limit herself, she wants to go beyond the production and sale of foods, but also use the appreciation she garners to positively impact her customers and neighborhood. To fulfill that vision, she is currently saving her profits to invest in a steaming machine. Additionally, she has plans of employing more people to assist her, in hopes of helping others financially navigate their path. Hence, with numerous technological advancements today, and changes in lifestyles of people, Claudia does not only want her work to adapt to those changes but also wants the people around her to move on to a healthier lifestyle.