“Crumbs”: the art of “sharing bread” with the guests

“Crumbs” cafes were one of the first in Yerevan, where it was possible not only to eat delicious food but also to find a special assortment of bread, some of which had not been in Armenia before. Ani Harutyunyan’s idea of “Crumb the factory” was born in 2010, and a year later the Crumbs production and first cafe were opened. Now there are three such cafes in Yerevan. WomenNet.am talks about the success, difficulties and  the formula for keeping Crumbs attractive and beloved with the founder-director of “Crumb the factory”,  Ani Harutyunyan.

Ani says that from the very beginning, the idea was to produce bread with leaven. Over time, various types of cookies have also been added. The most important reason for this choice was probably that she likes to eat tasty. Before that she had a business and realized that she could not do it, as it did not attract her. Besides then there were a few places where one could find good bread.

Telling about the origin of that idea Ani says that everyone can have ideas but not everyone is able to implement them. However, the most important thing is to study the field, to understand if you are really interested in it or not. She has always thought that food combines with people, both at the stage of preparation and at the end, when enjoying the benefits. It’s very important when you share your food with someone, so Ani  highly values family and united meals. For her, this is a much deeper phenomenon than just eating together. And bread is a symbol.

In the beginning Ani says that they  had a production master from Canada, who was training the staff. But he had difficulties in adapting to local raw materials, so the learning process seemed unsatisfactory. Every day they were spoiling a large amount of bread. Perhaps the biggest challenge is to find good staff and to collect the right team. Also, sometimes there are some difficulties due to the lack of given raw materials in Armenia. Instead the most pleasant thing about this is getting positive feedback from customers. Of course Ani highlights honesty, respect towards each other and team working skills.

Talking about cafes Ani said that  was really one of the first to choose a minimalist, wooden interior. From the very beginning, they have sought to work with local masters, buy local products to decorate cafes. There is also an interesting feature. They have “commodes” in all the branches. The first of these, in the Glendale hills, is very old and belongs to her grandfather’s mother. Such little attributes in cafes make the environment more warm. And the second most important thing is employees. They greet and accept  customers, like their guests, at their home.

Crumbs also tries to support social, charitable initiatives, organize charity suppers. And the whole idea is not to show off but to ensure that kindness should be transferred from to another. Saying support, Crumbs team imagines not only financial one, for example they allow interested children visit them and learn different skills.

With regard to difficulties connected with being a quite successful business lady Ani says that  during last 6-7 years many things have been changed, besides in many things it is even advantage, as people treat you better. But personally for her the age was the greatest difficulty as she was 21 years old starting the business.

As an advice to young women, having ideas, Ani suggests just to have goal and try to achieve it, not being afraid of mistakes, as no one comes here prepared, and everybody must learn, study, improve skills.

Full text in Armenian