CHOCOLATE Studio is the brainchild of Einas Mishref, a Saudi mother of two boys and a graduate in Childhood Education from King Abdul Aziz University, and it recently opened in a popular district in Jeddah to much fanfare. Saudi women are increasingly being given opportunities to own small businesses that start from home, with the aim of expanding in the future. Chocolate Studio stems from the same initiative. Mishref's business focuses on the novel concept of printing pictures on chocolates - called chocolate printing - wedding cards, cupcakes and many other delicacies. “Our products are made from rich gourmet chocolates,” explained Mishref in an interview with the Saudi Gazette. “I'm trying to target all types of people especially schools, companies and some of the banks.” The shop offers prints on the three basic types of chocolates: Dark, white and milk chocolate. It also offers different shapes such as chocolate flavored lollipops, special occasion flavors, chocolate flavored portraits, chocolate flavored CDs, chocolate square cards and chocolate trading cards. She also produces chocolates for companies that include signature center boxes, chocolate business cards, small gift boxes and chocolate coins, as well as cookies in cello bags and assorted truffles. At first, MIshref started at home by baking mini cupcakes and creating colorful chocolate flavored lollipops for children and said that she had a great fun with it. “I wanted to go bigger, so I bought an American franchise that was specialized in printing on chocolates,” Mishref said. Mishref started to employ staff - consisting of both Saudis and expatriates - for the shop front, in the laboratory and for packaging and wrapping. She established the business with a loan from Bab Rizg Jameel, which is part of Abdullatif Jameel and provides support to small businesses. They loaned her 100,000 Riyals to open her shop with the money going to rent and the interior design. Manal Abaidy from Bab Rizg Jameel assured Mishref that the organization's job doesn't end after signing over the loan. It also seeks to make sure that the business is running well and offer marketing services as well. “We help in marketing, advertising and financing the business until it is fully established,” said Abaidy, who was present at the opening of Chocolate Studio. Mishref's husband, Ayman Abdul Jawad also spoke to the Saudi Gazette and explained that he sincerely hoped for his wife to succeed. “I believe that any woman can do whatever she wants as long as she has a good plan and the right timing,” he said. He added that he also helped her in any way he could. “I was the negotiator between her and the franchise company in the US. It took a while to set down all the ground rules for such a business,” he explained. Most of the customers at the opening were of the opinion that this novel concept was both refreshingly new and the chocolates proved to be well
