Widow’s bread-baking business becomes family lifeline, seeks shop opportunities for growth

September 11, 2024 4:24 am | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

By Clifton Kissel

Mrs. Winnie Daniel, a 56-year-old widowed mother from the Bladinier area, has been baking bread since she was 20 years old.

Following the death of her husband, Mrs. Daniel, who now resides with her 10 children, has relied on her bread baking skills to provide for her family.

Initially, Mrs. Daniel and her husband started the breadbaking business in the Manples area, where they baked just one bag of flour a day.

She has since moved to Bladinier, where she continues her trade and has expanded her operations.

Every night, her children push wheelbarrows through the streets, calling out to locals to buy their bread.

“When my husband passed away, I knew I had to find a way to support my family. That’s when I started using a wheelbarrow for sales and involved my children in the process,” Mrs. Daniel shared.

Despite feeling embarrassed and occasionally brought to tears, Mrs. Daniel kept her emotions hidden from her children.

What began with one wheelbarrow has now grown to three, and she bakes 2 to 3 bags of bread daily.

Her children, all skilled in baking, alternate between schoolwork and selling bread.

They sometimes hire a truck to distribute bread around residential areas in Port Vila.

The widowed mother is also seeking opportunities to expand her sales and would like to find shops that can help her grow her business.

Mrs. Daniel believes that with the right support, her current production can be scaled up.

The widowed mother built the oven for baking bread herself, with the help of her children.

Mrs. Daniel’s message to other widowed or single mothers is one of resilience.

“Life is not easy, and there is nothing to be ashamed of when hustling for your family. Living in Port Vila is very expensive, and everyone needs to work. If I can do it, I believe every mother can do it,” she said.