Success story: Aromada
Background
Established in 2019, Cardiff-based Aromada produce a range of mirror glazes, jams, jellies, caramels and Bavarian creams which they supply to bakeries, patisseries and ice cream manufacturers.
Founded by Samir Bougaci and Motaz Dadou, Aromada combines the pair’s experience in ingredient manufacture and luxury patisserie. Motaz previously owned a large baking ingredient business in the Middle East whilst Samir is a trained baker who has owned patisserie shops across south Wales and Bristol.
Samir had always wanted to own a company supplying ingredients to the baking industry and so collaborated with Motaz to turn his ambition into a reality.
SALSA support
To grow the business, Samir and Motaz decided that they would need to secure SALSA certification. Designed for smaller food producers and suppliers, SALSA is one of the most widely recognised food safety certification schemes in the UK.
Securing SALSA certification would demonstrate that Aromada was operating to industry-recognised food safety standards, and it would enable them to supply their products to much larger wholesale customers.
As neither, Samir nor Motaz, had experience of SALSA certification, they approached the food safety experts at ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre for support in 2024.
Working closely with a ZERO2FIVE technologist, Aromada were mentored to develop their food safety management procedures and paperwork in line with the requirements of SALSA. This included areas such as cleaning, pest control, traceability, incident management, labelling and product shelf-life.
ZERO2FIVE also delivered a range of bespoke training on subjects including the HACCP approach to food safety, allergen management and supplier approval.
In line with their HACCP food safety plan, Aromada were supported to validate their cleaning procedures through microbiological testing, and their production processes by ensuring their pasteuriser reached the required temperature.
In preparation for the SALSA audit, ZERO2FIVE conducted an internal audit of Aromada’s paperwork and processes against the requirements of the standard to identify any final necessary improvements.
Benefits of the SALSA support
Aromada successfully passed their SALSA audit in January 2025 and securing this certification has opened up much bigger wholesale markets for the company, both in Wales and across the UK.
Aromada are aiming to secure BCRGS Start certification next so they can secure even larger wholesale customers. The company plan to work with ZERO2FIVE to help them with the next step in their certification journey.
Samir Bougaci, Director, Aromada, said “We’re incredibly grateful to ZERO2FIVE for their invaluable support throughout our journey. Their guidance with our hygiene paperwork and their expert assistance were key in helping us achieve our SALSA certification. Their team was always approachable, knowledgeable, and truly committed to our success – we genuinely couldn’t have done it without them.”
Sales support
As neither Samir nor Motaz had previous experience of business-to-business sales in the UK bakery market, they approached ZERO2FIVE for support with developing their customer base.
With decades of industry experience, ZERO2FIVE’s bakery experts helped Aromada to understand the UK marketplace, introducing them to key contacts, including wholesalers, manufacturers and equipment companies.
ZERO2FIVE also supported Aromada with preparing product samples for major UK trade fairs and testing their products against competitors to help identify unique selling points that could be used in their sales pitch. Finally, ZERO2FIVE are helping Aromada to arrange a showcase day where they can demonstrate their products to potential customers.
Benefits of the sales support
Aromada have made important customer contacts both in the UK and globally and their sales are now growing on a month-by-month basis. The company are already planning to relocate to a larger manufacturing unit where they’ll be able to produce powdered cake and bread mixes alongside their existing range of glazes and jams.
Samir Bougaci, Director, Aromada, said “The sales support from ZERO2FIVE has really helped us to grow our customer base. Their experienced team guided us every step of the way, helping us to understand the UK marketplace and introducing us to key contacts. If you’re looking to grow your bakery business, then I’d recommend getting in touch to see how they can help.”
Get in touch with us
If you’d like to find out more about how we can help your business or have any questions about the support we can offer, then please get in touch.
