#WomensMonth: Andriette de la Harpe, the creative visionary behind Mondvol Bakery

15 Aug 2024

Andriette de la Harpe, runner-up of Masterchef South Africa Season 4, has turned her passion for baking into a successful business by opening Mondvol Bakery in Cape Town.

Andriette de la Harpe, founder of Mondvol Bakery. Image supplied

De la Harpe is the creative visionary behind Mondvol’s delightful world of baking. A passionate businesswoman, de la Harpe is driven by a mission to bring joy to everyday life through her delicious creations - from custom cakes to her cake decorating classes, as well as the popular Mondvol Cookies.

As the runner-up of Masterchef SA Season 4, de la Harpe's culinary journey taught her the power of self-belief and confidence. She embraces success as a mindset, channeling her experiences into building Mondvol, and more recently the Mondvol Cookie Club as a result she’s seen with her unique Mondvol Cookie creations.

Mondvol thrives on the love and support of its community, which de la Harpe fondly refers to as family. Her dream is to see Mondvol grow into a thriving female-owned enterprise, dedicated to creating opportunities for women.

With core values of respect, kindness, creativity, bravery, inclusiveness, and joy, de la Harpe invites everyone to join her on this sweet journey, making every day a little bit brighter.

This Women's Month, we find out more about her journey in the delightful world of baking...

When and how was Mondvol Bakery born?

In 2021, I became part of the statistics and was retrenched during the Covid-19 pandemic. I was completely devastated. I’ve been playing around with cakes and as a way to keep the lights on, I started selling my cakes and baked goods in the estate where I was staying. So mondvol was born!

Creating these cakes and baked goods brought me so much joy, in a very tough season, and so the heart of Mondvol - spreading joy - was born.

How did you come up with the name?

I was sitting with one of my best friends, during this tough season when she suggested I start a food blog. She was the one who came up with the name. I wish I could take credit for it!

I love the play of the name - meaning “mouthful” in Afrikaans. It can be used in many different ways: “dit was ‘n mondvol”, meaning - that was quite the story! Of course, a mouthful of cake, cookies, and all the lovely things!

As a female founder, what are some of the biggest challenges you have faced, and how did you overcome them?

One of the biggest challenges is to know when to take risks and when not to. Always being ahead of the game, trying to stay relevant.

For me, the balance of finding inspiration around me and having my own authentic and creative voice is crucial to your success.

As a female owner, knowing when to stand your ground can be daunting, but the more you do it, and the more you believe not only in yourself but your product, the more you get confident to take up your space, trust your instincts and stand your ground.

What do you believe are the key qualities of an effective leader and how is being a woman an advantage and a disadvantage?

I believe that your passion, culture, and values should be celebrated and truly reflected in and through your team.

An effective leader can inspire the above-mentioned and make sure that you not only reflect them but have your team strive towards them. I believe a safe space is essential for learning and growing.

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Your team should be allowed to make mistakes. This should be done within a safe learning environment, where it is ok to make a mistake as long as you learn from it.

A leader should always make space for people to grow and become their leaders in their own right. Respect and kindness goes a long way. I believe being a woman gives me the advantage of having more empathy towards my team. A soft heart is a powerful tool used correctly.

A disadvantage could be not being taken as seriously in the industry when it comes to making deals with suppliers etc. But with enough confidence, you can make it happen.

What initiatives or projects are you most proud of, and why do you believe they were successful?

When we realised we needed a product that could be shipped nationwide, the cookies completely changed my business direction. I am so proud of this product and project. Not only can I reach more people, meaning more growth in the business, but I can spread more joy all over South Africa.

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A post shared by Mondvol ™️ met Andriette �� (@mond_vol)

The launch of the Mondvol Cookie Club is our most recent, and very exciting offering. By becoming a part of our little community, members will receive one box of cookies each quarter that will also contain a mystery gift.

Not only that, but members will get behind-the-scenes access, the ability to build their own boxes, get early access to new flavours , promos, and receive special gifts, discounts, and more. Due to our size, we can only accommodate 500 Mondvol Cookie Club members.

What advice would you give to other women aspiring to start their own business?

Make sure you have your finances in control. Know exactly what is going on, to the cent, with your books.

Have good control over your cash flow. If you can, keep as much money in your business when growing. Now is not the time to pull a big salary. With that said, know when to use money to make money. You have to risk it.

Be authentic. You will have to look to others for inspiration, but please put your own creative and authentic twist on it. People relate to authentic voices.

Be kind. To yourself, your staff, and your clients. Always go above and beyond.

Client service is everything. Again, be kind.

Don't forget to have fun and be proud of yourself!

What does Women’s Month mean to you?

Supporting and celebrating other women even more. We are multifaceted, talented, powerful, soft, beautiful and strong beings. Being able to partner with like-minded women is the biggest honor I can get!