Ratna  G Chotrani

Sisters Mona Ahmed and Arshia Ahmed Ayub are called the Desseet Queens of Hyderab for a reason that they contributed to making the City of Biryani lovers have sweet tooth. They have been adding the sweet flavours to the Hyderabadi palate through desseerts straight out of their Dessert Factory for bnearly 20 years.

With a flagship cloud kitchen in upscale Banjara Hills that doesn’t consider any flavour or dessert combinations as too bizarre, Mona has quickly risen to the top as one of the most popular patissiers and dessert chefs in the City.

From creating healthy desserts to baking iconic cakes at Dessert Factory Mona’s cloud kitchen, desserts and cakes have a couture moment  -the indulgent brainchild of Mona Ahmed, who serves them in style.

Every bite is curated, styled and presented as it belongs to a fashion week. And just when you think it couldn’t get more iconic, she drops a mango collection that is unexpected, and honestly, it is rewriting what luxury desserts look like.

At Dessert Factory, Mona Ahmed and her sister Arshia  Ahmed Ayub, who takes care of the business, are both synonymous with the most indulgent desserts-gooey brownies, delicious cakes and fluffiest profiteroles you may have ever tasted.

Mona Ahmed first honned her skills as a cook at home; baking and making desserts for family and friends. Today, it is one of the most iconic places, thanks to Mona’s love for food, her passion to serve bites of magic to all her customers.

It was also the business acument of Arshia Ahmed Ayub that has resulted in exponential growth (and success) of this business. Today she is hands full!  

Mona”s culinary prowess gained popularity among her large family members, the neighbours who not only admired her baking but also motivated her to establish her own dessert enterprise. The encouragement gave rise to Mona setting up the Dessert Factory.

And, it’s this success that Mona and Arshia celebrate – success that’s achieved with passion and love for what you do. This is everything and more that Mona and Arshia stand for, and this is why it celebrates women.

The key ingredient to success? “My vision for the quality over anything else has been the driving force for this business. Do what you love, because when you do what you love, it shows in your product. And always remember to put your best foot forward,” says Mona.

Though her background was a BBA from the College of William and Mary, USA, it's her excitement to study, create and bring about new [things] that really provokes her. Says Mona, there were a lot of challenges along the way, the primary one being sourcing quality ingredients. Dessert Factory has set standards for each ingredient used, and our goal was to source as many of the ingredients locally as possible.

Mona was able to identify a good mix of local and imported ingredients. Another big task was to build a team of talented pastry chefs and to train them according to her set standards, which she did successfully, with her niece, Arshia’s daughter, Ambreen Ayub, now helping her in baking. Ambreen Ayub crafted the blueprint and sparked Dessert Factory’s now iconic cake legacy.

Mona Ahmed is notorious for turning everyday desserts on their head and creating something that is uniquely delicious. A few of her signature dishes include the snickerdoodle cookies, lotus stuffed cookies, chocolate heaven mixed fruit tarts, and silky pudding. However, nothing is quite as popular as their colourful rendition of one of everyone’s favourite childhood desserts, the Birthday cake.

Consistency in food quality is probably the single most important indicator of success for Mona, whose brand’s loyal fan base is unparalleled. Her devoted customers are attached to their favourite desserts and expect the same spectacular taste when they order from Dessert Factory.

A lot of successful food business stories have found their origins in the backyard, or more accurately, in home kitchens. A lot of successful food business stories have found their origins in the back of houses, or more accurately, in home kitchens. Today, from home Kitchen to Hyderabad’s most wanted dessert drop, Mona and Arshia didn’t just bake cakes.

They built a brand where every layer tells a story of passion, precision and sisterhood. Dessert Factory  isn’t  following trends –it’s setting the standard for what luxury tastes like