Maya La Chocolaterie
Sweet dreams
Sonya Janahi, founder and CEO of Maya La Chocolaterie, has built a Bahraini brand that’s going global b y PA M E L L A D E L E O N
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f you’ve ever dreamt of owning your own chocolate factory, this entrepreneur is sure to spark some envy in you. Sonya Mohamed Abdulla Janahi, whose background stems from over 20 years in Bahrain’s banking sector, is the founder and CEO of Bahrain’s premium artisan chocolate brand, Maya La Chocolaterie. Launched in July 2007, Janahi took advantage of untapped opportunities in the Kingdom to create a niche F&B concept around an ingredient she’s particularly passionate about: chocolate. The aficionado, who pursued a Professional Chocolatier Certification from Ecole Chocolate, debuted with a focus on healthy, preservative-free ranges of
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chocolates and desserts, and went on to introduce the Maya chocolate bar concept out of its own chocolate factory- which, at the time, was a quite a new concept, and paved the way for a homegrown Bahraini brand to be
Sonya Mohamed Abdulla Janahi, founder and CEO, Maya La Chocolaterie
exported outside of its market as a franchise business. During the same year, Janahi also established The Living Concepts, a hospitality and F&B consultancy company that aims to create Bahrain-born brands that can be franchised internationally, and she has also founded other brands such as Maya Delices and ChocoB’s. Janahi’s entrepreneurial drive was ignited when she felt an inclination to “promote change for the better of the market.” Forgoing the traditional corporate setting began when the founder felt that “what I was doing was not enough, and I needed to be able to do much more to create the necessary change that will reflect not only on myself, but also on the
society, the sector, and future generations.” And with Maya La Chocolaterie, Janahi has clearly managed to make a dent in the market. “Maya as a brand has reached a mature stage of validation, and the next step is to expand the brand globally with the optimization of technology and affiliations/JVs with new partners to create a global brand,” she says. With franchise locations available in Bahrain, Riyadh and Jeddah (and soon in Europe, US, Canada, Australia, South America, and select Asian markets), Maya La Chocolaterie’s philosophy stems from creating “a business about great chocolates, breakthrough recipes and passion for what we do every daya unique experience,” which has enabled the enterprise to grow through franchises and strategic partnerships. Its state-of-the-art facility in Bahrain produces an average 25 tonnes of chocolates annually, serving an array 200 types of delicacies from pralines, truffles, chocolate pastries, crepes, waffles, and a selection of hot and cold chocolate drinks, as well as experimenting with spices and herbs for distinct flavors that give the brand an added edge, in addition to the quality of the raw chocolate. Managing various entities and roles takes dedication and discipline, and when asked about the strategies she uses to do it all, Janahi says it’s all about being flexible (yet organized) with your key milestones in mind, delegating responsibilities, and managing your expectations. When it comes to making critical decisions, Janahi encourages entrepreneurs to reflect what’s it in for the team and stakeholders, and the value it will add to the economy. But most importantly, she states
IMAGES COURTESY MAYA LA CHOCOLATERIE
CULTURE BUSINESS UNUSUAL
