We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rayane Kabbara ElChafic a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rayane, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
My journey in my small business “Fida Chocolate” started in March 2021. I named it after my beloved mom, Fida (may her soul rest in peace). She was a true leader who dedicated her life to her family. Her beautiful characteristics of elegance and generosity have become the core values and principles of Fida Chocolate.
Our main mission is to bring awareness of the Islamic holidays such as the holy month of Ramadan and Eid in a very presentable and informative way to people who don’t celebrate it. The idea came after my daughter started to attend pre-school, I looked for gifts for her teachers during our holidays, but options were very limited and not to my satisfaction. I was looking for a gift that help build bridges between different cultures and for my kids to feel proud of their parent’s Arabic heritage!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Rayane, owner of Fida Chocolate. I hold a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University with a limited experience in health care industry.
At Fida chocolate we specialize in chocolate and covered dates gift packages for Islamic holidays. We thrive every Ramadan and Eid season to provide a unique collection of chocolate packages to our customers who trusted us and believed in our mission.
Our packaging process is very detailed and beautifully executed. Every Ramadan & Eid we choose a specific theme, and we work relentlessly on the packaging and wrapping designs. Our new 2024 chocolate collection theme is inspired by the art of the “traditional embroidery” or “tatreez” in the Arabic language; a very beautiful patterns that highlight the tremendous inheritance of the Palestinian and Jordanian heritage and their dedication to preserve their rich culture!
Also, we provide a variety of chocolate box sizes that suit all customers preferences and budgets. Our main goal is to spread the joy of Ramadan and Eid and share the holiday spirit with our coworkers, school staff, friends, and neighbors.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
The world of e-commerce has its unique set of challenges and I think most of small business entrepreneurs are facing a fair share of difficulties. Getting the attention of potential customers and bringing them to your online store and your social media platforms require a strong marketing strategy and connections. Choosing the right social media channels to get followers, optimizing my social media profiles, posting consistently but with purpose and actively engaging with my followers are very helpful ways to build my social media audience.
Also, turning my vision into reality wouldn’t have been possible without the ultimate support of my community, teaming up with small e-businesses and brand partnerships with social media influencers who believed in my vision and mission to feature my products on their platforms. I’m so thrilled to launch my new Ramadan collection “Tatreez” in February 2024. Please visit my website www.fidachocolates.com to learn more!
How did you build your audience on social media?
What helped me the most to build my reputation in the market is my company’s mission statement which is “bring awareness of the Islamic holidays such as the holy month of Ramadan and Eid in a very presentable and informative way to people who don’t celebrate it”. In addition to that, what set us apart from others is not only the genuine Belgian chocolate that we carry but also inside each chocolate gift box we include a brief informative card for the recipient to learn more about the holiday. Lastly, we thrive to deliver an exceptional customer service, we value our customers and their satisfaction. Their feedback is a crucial part of our business improvement. By the end of every holiday season, we encourage customers to give us feedback and ideas for potential improvement!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Fidachocolates.com
- Instagram: @fidachocolates