Их куличи раскупили в мусульманской стране / Как кондитерская из Новосибирска вышла на рынок Дубая

Can a Russian bakery conquer the Dubai market? What mistakes do entrepreneurs make when launching a business in the Emirates, and why don't traditional promotional tools always work in Dubai? This podcast features Evgenia Belaya, the founder of Cake Stories, who moved from Novosibirsk to Dubai, launched a pastry shop specializing in handmade desserts, and broke even within four months. Before entering the UAE market, the team built its own production facility in Russia and a chain of six coffee shops, and is now developing its business in Dubai in several areas: B2B, custom orders, dessert delivery, and aggregators. We discussed: — How to open a business in Dubai in 2026 — Why aggregators and delivery in Dubai work differently than in Russia — How word of mouth works in the Emirates — Why Russian-speaking audiences in Dubai love childhood desserts — Which products evoke nostalgia in CIS audiences — How to sell desserts in Dubai — The real economics of production in the UAE — How to break even in a new country — How to scale a business without losing control — How the Dubai market differs from the Russian market — Why first impressions in Dubai are everything — The specifics of doing business in the UAE for Russian-speaking entrepreneurs We also discussed why Dubai currently has enormous potential for high-quality food projects, how the local dessert market differs from the Russian one, and why high-quality service and a strong visual appeal still provide a significant competitive advantage here. Speaker: Evgenia Belaya — Founder of Cake Stories • Confectionery production in Dubai • Coffee shop chain in Russia • Practical experience in scaling a business • B2B, custom orders, and aggregators • Starting a business in the UAE 👉 Follow Cake Stories on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cakestories... 🔥 Enter promo code Nuria when ordering desserts to get a 15% discount 🔥 👉 Order on Talabat - https://www.talabat.com/uae/cake-stories 👉 Order on Deliveroo - https://deliveroo.ae/en/menu/dubai/du... 📍 Recorded at Nuria Production Studio (Dubai Media City) My Social Media: ❗️ Instagram - / nurianuria275 ❗️ Telegram Channel - https://t.me/nuriaproduction Timecodes [00:00] - Brief introduction and key points of the episode. [00:45] - Welcome, introduction of the guest (Evgenia Belaya), and podcast topics. [01:21] - Presentation of in-studio desserts that became a hit at Easter in Dubai. [02:31] - Evgenia's story: how a chemist by education left science and opened a pastry shop in Novosibirsk. [03:55] - The secret to a quick start in Russia without advertising: a fitness center and CrossFitters with a sweet tooth. [05:43] - Scaling a business: switching to professional equipment according to sanitary regulations and entering production. [07:18] - Developing a network using our own profits, without attracting investment. [08:03] - Why we decided to enter the Dubai market: comparing taxes and competition with Moscow. [11:14] - In-house chocolate production: how the cocoa crisis affected dessert recipes. [14:11] - Features of the Dubai market: the visual component and the lack of a strong mid-range dessert segment. [16:56] - Adapting the menu to the market: B2C (Russian-speaking population) and developing a B2B direction with local coffee shops. [18:37] - Top desserts: which sweets are popular in Russia, and which are leading in the UAE (nostalgia and bird's milk). [23:31] - Differences in promotional tools: why expectations from food aggregators failed in Dubai and how to promote through word of mouth. [25:15] - Easter cake case study: how a bakery sold out completely in a Muslim country and clashed with local suppliers. [29:34] - Future plans: opening our own coffee shops in Dubai. [31:45] - Advice for entrepreneurs looking to enter the UAE market: why patience is essential. [35:46] - Summary and advice for bakery business owners. #dubai #businessindubai #uae #dubai2026 #entrepreneurship #business #businesspodcast #russiansindubai #dubaibusiness #emirates #dubai #dubaibusiness #uaebusiness #podcast #businesspodcast