Jakarta (AFP) – New bakery in Indonesia is opening its doors for the first time, but a lot of locals are not happy with the idea.
Melao Bakery opened in the city of Jakarta on Saturday, just weeks after it opened in Melao, a town in eastern Aceh province.
Its owner, Erawi Hani, said it was the first new bakery in Jakarta since the country was declared a city state.
“We want to make sure the citizens are aware of our new business,” he told AFP, adding that the bakery was already well known among locals, with “great” reviews.
“Our business is very well known,” he said.
“People love our cakes, so we want to continue this.”
He said he had opened the bakery for the last two years because of the lack of demand for cakes and bread in the capital, but that the demand had been growing rapidly.
“I hope the people can help us by supporting our business,” Hani said.
The bakery is owned by the same family, Hani’s father, Eunying, said, adding the family had received support from other businesses.
“If we get enough people, we will open another bakery in another city,” he added.
“This will be a big success for Indonesia,” he warned.
“But I want to tell you, it will not be easy, because the country is so small.”
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia where no-one owns a bakery.
Erawi, the eldest son, said he and his father were not happy about the new establishment, which he called “disrespectful” to local customs.
“It is disrespectful to our customs,” he insisted.
“The only thing we do here is bake cakes, and if we get a good customer, we make bread,” he explained.
“My father and I were very angry that the people here did not understand our bakery.”
“It will be difficult to open in Jakarta.
But if we can open a bakery in a small town, it is possible.”
He was optimistic that the new venture would make it to Indonesia’s second city, Surabaya.
“There is a lot demand for our bakery, and we will be able to do that,” he promised.
