Srinagar, Jun 10: A 24-year-old girl in north Kashmir’s Sopore has built a custom cake and dessert brand from her kitchen oven, gaining steady traction across the valley without any formal business education or external funding.
Tabia Firdous Dar, a B.Tech in Food Technology and former employee of The Grand Lalit hotel in Srinagar, launched T99 Bakes in 2024. The brand is now gradually expanding its customer base, particularly in northern Kashmir.
“I started small — one order, then another. There was no grand launch,” Dar told Kashmir Convener.
She said the turning point was word-of-mouth, with customers seeking unique designs and reliable taste. Each cake — from birthdays to anniversaries — continues to be personally overseen by her.
“In Kashmir, reputation travels faster than delivery bikes. One bad cake can undo months of work,” she said.
The brand is experimenting with new flavours and designs, but Dar said she is not in a race. “I just want to be better than I was last week,” she added.
Before starting her venture, Dar worked at several places, including The Grand Lalit. She described baking as a livelihood built “one layer at a time,” noting that private-sector opportunities remain limited in the Union Territory.
Asked for advice to other young women looking to start up, she said: “Don’t wait for the perfect time. Use what you have. Learn as you go.”
Consistency, not capital, has been her real advantage, she said.
Notably, in Kashmir’s male-dominated society, more women are now moving away from long waits for government employment and entering traditionally viewed businesses.
Jammu and Kashmir has one of India’s highest unemployment rates—46.3% among educated young people, as per the latest official survey. But despite this, many young locals are now starting their own businesses and creating jobs for others.
After the removal of Article 370, hopes for government jobs have fallen. So, more and more people in the region are turning to self-employment. While many still struggle to find work, some determined youth are building success stories in different fields like handicrafts, food, tech, and farming.
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