Back in 2020, RD covered the story of a banker Zulkiflee Mawan who left corporate life at the age of 50 to start his own baking business. Despite having no prior cooking knowledge, he threw himself into learning about the industry at international and local cake artistry centres and culinary centres around the world such as the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu.
His cakes have since graced high-profile events and the tables of eminent individuals such as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Zulkiflee manages to put his own creative touch on all his cake designs and has become known for his wedding cakes and dessert creations which are truly Pinterest-worthy.
He has also made a name for himself across the pond as he was featured in the Cake Masters Magazine UK in 2019 and 2022, a leading publication in the industry. In 2022, Banker2Baker participated in an international cake competition in the UK where bakers and cake artists around the world competed in various categories where they clinched the Merit award in the Sugar Flower category.
Making Malaysia’s name known on the international stage hasn’t been easy, but in April, Zulkiflee’s business reached a new milestone as he officially launched the Banker2Baker branch in London. This is a central kitchen located in Croydon, a large town in South London that will mainly be used to distribute their cakes to cafes.
This was held during the prominent wedding expo in London, The National Wedding Show 2023. The expo was also attended by the High Commissioner of Malaysia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, Dato’ Zakri Jaafar and his wife.
As one of the vendors who participated in the expo, Zulkiflee’s cakes that were placed on display received encouraging and positive responses from the attendees in London.
They were amazed by the method of making the sugar flowers that were decorated on all the cakes and the motifs and elements of Malaysian culture also became a talking point at the expo.
RD spoke to Zulkiflee about his exciting new venture and the challenges of gaining a foothold in the UK.
Zulkiflee shared that there were many challenges that they had to face from the early stages of planning to the beginning of their London operations.
“As we know, the cost of living in London is very high so these were one of the factors that we had to figure out. Nevertheless, in this modern age, the influence of social media helped us to promote our products in a more widespread and cost-efficient manner. Besides that, we were fortunate and honoured to receive full support from the Malaysian ambassadors in London such as Dato’ Zakri and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) officers in London.”
Fortunately, besides having support from Malaysians, the reception from Londoners has also been overwhelming so far.
He said, “Alhamdullilah, when we participated in the wedding expo in London, the reception that we received from the locals was very encouraging and extraordinary. They were amazed by our cake decorations that use flowers made of sugar and wafer paper. Through our debut participation in the expo, Banker2Baker then started receiving many enquiries about orders for wedding cakes for the upcoming year.”
The transition process has been made easier as there aren’t many differences between the cakes in Malaysia and London from the design aspect.
“As proven when we were previously chosen to be featured in the Cake Masters Magazine, our designs are actually suitable for the London market. The only difference is that in Malaysia, we often include traditional Malay elements for our cakes such as Baju Kebaya, Baju Melayu, Tanjak (traditional male headgear), sanggul lintang (traditional female headgear), and most recently Tepak sireh (traditional metal container for storing betel leaves).
So far, he has taken the local dietary requirements and preferences of Londoners into account. Zulkiflee shared, “Amongst our signature flavours in Malaysia are the Salted Caramel cake and the Pandan Gula Melaka––so we plan to offer the same flavours in the UK as well.
However, based on the feedback that we have received from the locals, they also follow certain diets. For example, some prefer vegan, eggless, and gluten-free cakes. Therefore, we will adjust our cakes according to the requests of the locals on top of promoting the same flavours that we currently offer in Malaysia, especially towards Malaysians in London.
To add to the authenticity of the taste, Banker2Baker specifically brings in Gula Melaka (palm sugar) from Malaysia, although he uses pandan leaves and coconut that can be found in London. Zulkiflee is also strict about maintaining the same hygiene standards that he has set in KL. In London, the authorities have already conducted hygiene checks and they were rated 5 stars.
Despite starting his business late in life, Zulkiflee has truly made strides in the industry both locally and international and serves as an inspiration to us all. We hope that Banker2Baker will continue to reach new heights!
Address: G-20, Seasons Garden Residence, Jalan 1/27E, Seksyen 10 Wangsa Maju, 53300 Kuala Lumpur
Visit their website or follow them on their Malaysian or UK Instagram pages.
Image credit: @banker2baker, @banker2baker.ldn, parlimen.gov.my