Today we’d like to introduce you to Ahmad Aissa.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My name is Ahmad Aissa, the founder and sweets maker at Aissa Sweets. I was born and raised in Syria and moved to the USA in 2011. I have a passion for making food and was trained back home for making Syrian sweets. Being in a country, the people of which embrace culture diversity and ethnic foods encouraged me to start a business through which I can offer a piece of my culture for people in the US to enjoy. And there I started Aissa Sweets in 2012 making Syrian desserts with a commitment to use high quality and natural ingredients. The business grew from supplying a few local grocery stores in New Hampshire to supplying stores across New England. At Aissa Sweets, we produce various flavors of baklava, from classic walnut to chocolate walnut, and coconut chocolate, as well as the traditional date-filled Mamoul cookies.
In late 2016, we decided to open Aissa Sweets café and increase our products variety to include non-sweets items. In addition to the desserts that we wholesale, we started offering traditional Syrian sandwiches, but we used filo-dough instead of the usual pita bread, which makes the sandwiches lighter with a wonderful crunch and flavor. The Cafe addition was a success and an opportunity to connect more with our customers.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, unfortunately. The struggle stretches from the financial capacity to the absence of skilled labor considering the very low unemployment rate in NH, to compete with other products while producing a high-quality product.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Aissa Sweets – what should we know?
Aissa Sweets specialize in filo-dough products such as classic walnut baklava, chocolate walnut baklava, and coconut chocolate baklava. We also produce the date-filled Mamoul cookies that are traditional to the Middle East.
These products are produced and sold as wholesale, but we also sell them at Aissa Sweets cafe in addition to a variety of filo-wraps and other cream filled cookies such as carrot, raspberry, and walnut cookies. The proudest moment is when customers express their pleasure when tasting our products. Whether at a products demonstration in one of the stores we supply or at Aissa Sweets cafe’. The feedback brings me a lot of pride and courage to continue.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My wife Evelyn. She supported and helped me since the beginning of the business. She works in a different field running a successful organization in NH, and despite that, she still finds the time to give me helpful input and I still have lots of useful discussions with her regarding important business decisions.
Contact Info:
- Address: 128 Hall St Unit H
Concord, NH 03301 - Website: www.aissasweets.com
- Phone: 603 856 8735
- Email: aissa.sweets@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aissasweets.llc/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/aissa-sweets-concord-2
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