Asma Shah is the owner of Go Flour, a successful social enterprise that trains under-privileged women and teach them the art of baking. Hailing from London, it was a huge feat for Asma to enter the eatery business as a woman.
Though the bakery doesn’t boast high décor furniture or opulent interiors, it radiates a homely warmth of familiarity that welcomes those who pass it by. The almost labyrinthine structure of the outdoor area means that customers can explore the premises for themselves. Walking past the open kitchen, you’re bound to find yourself a seat at long wooden benches, perfect for catching some sun and biting into a freshly-baked piece of sweet apple caramel cake.
Go Flour was founded earlier in 2019 by seasoned entrepreneur Asma Shah and award-winning restaurateur Ahmed Chema. It’s a social enterprise that trains local women from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, teaching them how to bake, microfinance, hone their social media skills and make them more business savvy. By giving trainees access to education and employability skills, Go Flour invests forward – empowering Pakistani women with financial and social autonomy.
As an apprentice at the tiny eatery that is tucked away in a corner of Lahore’s upmarket Gulberg area, Asma is part of a growing tribe of women being trained in the art of “baking the world a better place.”
Since its inception in September 2019, Go Flour bakery has trained several women from Pakistan’s diverse socio-economic backgrounds and hopes to empower and help them move into the working world with a hands-on skill, baking, in their pockets.
The organization prides itself on being the only bakery in Lahore to make artisan bread that is “free of additives and enhancers,” while “championing the cause for women’s empowerment.”