Anna Gueghamyan, 45, wife, mother of three boys and now successful bakery owner is proving that the modern Armenian woman can run a household, nurture her family and also contribute financially by starting up a small business. Her much-demanded sweet Armenian pastry gata is testimony of her skill, hard work and determination to succeed.
The delicious smell of a newly baked gata – traditional Armenian sweet pastry – can attract even the most indifferent visitor to Anna Gueghamyan’s bakery.
Anna is holding her baked gata.
Forty-five-year-old Anna initially started her small bakery business to financially support her family, but she has since realised that running a business has given her a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction that she has longed for since giving up her teaching job in the capital Yerevan after starting a family.
“My husband didn’t want me to work. He earned enough money and I was to take care of our children”, remembers Anna.
“The kids were small and they needed much care and attention. I was afraid she couldn’t manage both the household and some other job”, confesses Anna’s husband, 45-year-old Artur Hambardzumyan.
The role of women in Armenian society has been diverse during various periods of upheaval in the country’s history. Yet one thing remains unchanged: in Armenian culture women have always been the guardians of the family’s integrity, performing their maternal roles as nurturers, carers and protectors, and transferring family values and traditions from generation to generation.
As Anna’s family grew, so too did their needs and expenses. Anna’s husband was the only breadwinner and his earnings fell short of meeting the family needs – a situation that can be seen right across Armenia as a result of the transition from a centrally-planned to a market economy, which has plunged many families into serious economic and social problems.
“I was eager to help my husband to earn some money. I thought of doing something at home, so I didn’t have to leave my children. I decided to bake gata and then sell it,” says Anna.
Gata is a mildly sweet, flat, bready cake of flaky dough with a filling of butter, sugar and flour. It is a common centre piece of the Armenian table at weddings and other ceremonies. The most important quality of this dessert is that it can be kept for a long time and doesn’t easily spoil.
Sleepless nights and tiresome days ensued as the smell of the home-made pastry filled the family’s small one-room apartment. Anna would bake gata while her husband tried to sell it in their neighbourhood.
“The job was exhausting and needed much patience. I sometimes felt my husband’s deep disappointment. Several times he even tried to persuade me to give up the idea,” she says.
Anna’s strong will and optimism kept her going. “I was sure our efforts would be rewarded. We just needed to wait for some time and not stop working”.
Anna’s delicious pastry became very popular among local people and as demand increased, Anna also needed to increase supply. At this point Anna decided to take a loan from World Vision’s microfinance institution in Armenia, SEF International.
“Without the SEF loan we would hardly be able to sustain our home business and start this bakery,” says Anna.
SEF International provides loans and financial consultation to sole proprietors, farmers and entrepreneurs with the aim to boost income generation and employment opportunities and ensure sustainable livelihood for families and children. SEF currently operates in the capital Yerevan and in six remote and impoverished areas of Armenia.
Anna’s first loan of 700,000 drams (US$2,300) was used to rent a small place in the suburbs and purchase a larger oven. Anna continued to bake the pastry herself and did everything with her hands. The work was physically exhausting and Anna desperately wanted to purchase a stirring machine to ease the work and increase her capacity.
A second loan of 1,000,000 drams (US$3,280) enabled Anna to buy a mixer and cover other urgent expenses.
“It was a great comfort for me. I didn’t have to do everything with my hands, and it helped increase the production and the quality of the pastry”, says Anna.
Anna’s enormous efforts were not in vain. The bakery started to produce results; it became a small family business where every member of the family made their contribution.
“I confess in the beginning I didn’t believe that our business would prosper. Now I see the results. I am thankful to my wife that she has done it. I am also happy that she has a job she likes and puts so much effort into it”, says Anna’s husband with pride.
Every member in Anna’s family shares the responsibilities and there is a great deal of mutual support. Even the housework, which has been traditionally done by women, is now shared among family members. Everyone feels a part of the household and contributes to its well-being.
Today’s economic climate is dictating new rules and attitudes across Armenia, where traditional family roles of Armenian men and women have been strongly divided; the woman’s place being in the kitchen, and caring for the children and the man’s place in politics and business and supporting the family.
“I am happy that my family believed in me. I could provide a job not only for myself but also my sons. Now they are fully engaged in it and plan to enlarge our business in the future”, says Anna.
Anna’s youngest son studies confectionery in a college. “He wants to acquire some professional knowledge to use for the benefit of the bakery. Whenever he finishes his classes he comes directly to the bakery to help me”, says Anna proudly.
Anna’s two elder sons distribute the pastry to various shops around the city.
And the benefits from the business are multiplying as Anna has been able to employ two more women to work with her in the bakery. Hasmik Melkonyan, 44, mother of three, now works in the bakery in addition to running the family home.
“I am glad that I met Anna. She is a wonderful example that women can do more than is traditionally ascribed to us. I feel happy that I have a job. And I am even thinking of setting up my own business in the future,” says Hasmik.
Women make up more than half the population of Armenia and play a key role in contributing to the development of the country.
”I believe it’s important for a woman to work. It gives her not only financial independence but also opportunity to make connections and do something else apart from everyday household chores. In Armenia the number of female entrepreneurs is growing. I am sure we can have a valuable contribution as we possess an amazingly strong will and patience that men sometimes lack,” says Hasmik.
“I am glad I have a job that I like. It gives me new strengths. I feel important. I feel some independence. I feel confidence”, adds Anna.
“Nowadays, it is very difficult for the man to be the only breadwinner, and women can be of great support to her family’s well-being”.
“A woman should be able to manage and appreciate both her family and her job. I am grateful to my husband and my sons for helping me to achieve all of this,” Anna says with a gentle smile.
