Today we’d like to introduce you to Elif Ellie Zeren.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Elif Ellie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m 29 years old. I have two lives, before Krema and after Krema. Krema is my cat. We met four years ago. My sister adopted her, but after a few months, she needed to move to Tokyo for a job opportunity. My father is an architect and he usually has projects abroad. At that time, he was in Africa for about six months. My mom was also not in the country, she was visiting relatives. I was the only one who could take care of Krema, so I took her to my home. We started to live together, I was planning until my mom or dad would return. I had no idea how a tiny cat could change my entire life.
I used to be in finance sector, doing investment banking. Being successful was in the center of my universe. I was working very hard, living alone, minimum social life, only hung out in superficial relationships. But, I’ve always been a deeper person. There was something wrong in my life, I was sensing it, but couldn’t find (or create) any time to think about it. After Krema had moved in my home, I started to think about my life. I realized that I had been suppressing my true self. Krema has a very powerful soul and we are connected somehow. This connection and her unconditional love helped me to change my perspective in life, found my purpose. I started to look into my health, woke up and found out that the life I was living is totally out of harmony with the purpose of my life. Everyone has a purpose, it might be different things. My motivation is not being successful or having an admired career. They can only be outcomes. LOVE is the real purpose in my life, what I should look for and pursue. Love in myself, love in universe, love in every living being. There is a saying of Rumi which really fits in my life: “Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.”
I wanted to make something to better this world (small or big, it doesn’t matter) and live my life in harmony with my purpose, not to keep working for financing oil projects or whatever big project which is harming our planet. It’s time for us to wake up. Our planet is giving alert. Protecting it is our responsibility. I care for our families, our children, every living being’s future. World is changing, we need to be makers. We need to head for jobs that protect natural sources, help planet to survive. Working should not be only for money, I believe it should also be for giving meaning to our lives. So, I left my job at bank. Stopped eating meat (and now I’m VEGAN for about one year) Decided consuming everything very consciously. Started to travel, met new cultures, visited places I had wanted to see. When you live in the flow, universe sends you the most beautiful things. I met the love of my life, my true soulmate, two years ago. He was living in Houston, so I moved here. It’s been almost a year.
I love cooking and baking since I was a little child. Especially exploring new flavors, making up new recipes. After I switched to plant-based diet and eating healthy food, it made me more creative. I believe in the power in nature, so started researching every plant, trying to develop my own recipes. We don’t need to eat boring food! Plant-based food can be very delicious, joyful and colorful. I love desserts, cheesecake is my favorite! But there’s not so many options as non-dairy. Most of them include refined sugar or processed ingredients. Not healthy! So I started to try and make a 100% natural, plant-based cream. Finally, I’ve created my own recipe. It’s very similar to cheesecake in taste and texture. Then, I wanted to share it with everyone, that’s how Krema Healthy Bakery was borned.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As every startup, at first I had some questions in my mind. The recipes and cakes are my assets, so I was concerning about whether they were going to be loved or not. Houston was a new city for me, didn’t have many friends. Reaching people, how should I manage it, was a real challenge. Social media helped me a lot! After I started to post pictures of the cakes on Instagram, people started to notice KHB. I received very beautiful comments from the people who tasted my cakes. Feedbacks from customers are very important for me. I think they helped KHB to reach many people in a very short time.
Since KHB is quite new, I’m still struggling at some points. Growing and spreading fast is both an advantage and disadvantage. Sustainability is crucial for me! I have business plans, I need to work on them to bring into action. KHB is an online store right now. I’m planning to widen my distribution channels. And at some point, I want to open a place, a coffeshop maybe. So, I still have many struggles to face in the near future 🙂
Krema Healthy Bakery – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
KHB is an online custom cake studio. We have cheesecakes, tarts, celebration cakes and cupcakes. They are 100% plant-based with non-processed ingredients. No artificial flavor, gluten, gmo produce or refined sugar is used. Every ingredient in our cakes are natural and raw. If you have any allergies, besides dairy and gluten, we can also make them nut-free.
You have an option to customize your dream vegan cake or choose one from the cakes that we have already done before, from our website or Instagram. Instagram account is very active. I’m trying to post new cakes every week, and love to be in connection, answer all the questions.
During the week, I’m always trying new flavors to create new recipes. I’ve been asked a lot whether it’s possible to buy in slices, then I’ve started to sell these new flavors as “Cake of the Week”. It’s available to have a slice or cupcake from Friday to Tuesday. I’m announcing “Cake of the Week” on our Instagram account.
We have plenty of flavors, more than 30 for now! If you can’t find your favorite flavor in the list, please tell me! I’d love to try and make it.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Starting Krema Healthy Bakery, the moment that I posted the very first picture on Instagram, was one of the proudest moments of my life. Finally, I did what I really believed, what is good for myself and for the future of our planet. And now everyday, every moment I’m working with love, believing that I’m doing something good.
Few months ago, KHB was selected as one of the Best Plant-Based Cheesecakes in US. We are the only one from HOUSTON! That is a great honor for me, the proudest moment of my career so far.
Pricing:
- Celebration Cake (regular) – $50
- Cheesecake / Tart (regular) – $40
- Cheesecake / Tart (small) – $30
- Cupcakes (dozen) – $40
- Cake of the Week (slice) – $6
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kremahealthybakery.com
- Phone: (832) 213-7227
- Email: kremahealthybakery@gmail.com
Image Credit:
@whereispinar
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