“Who, If Not Us?”: Doctor Opens Inclusive Bakery to Give People with Autism a Future
Faced with a complete lack of inclusion in society, one woman decided not to wait for government assistance but to take matters into her own hands. That is how “Tata” was born — a bakery producing premium pastries while employing people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
In an exclusive interview with the Tiek YouTube channel, the project’s founder spoke openly about her fears, the lack of government support, the tears of parents of employees with special needs, and why an inclusive business must be financially sustainable.
From Personal Pain to a Business Project
Aigul admits that before the birth of her son, she knew almost nothing about autism or the challenges faced by families raising children with the condition, despite her medical background. Life forced her to learn everything from scratch.
The name of the bakery, “Tata,” also has a personal meaning — it is a tribute to the nanny who takes care of her son, who has special needs.
Realising that people with developmental differences face barriers to pursuing careers in medicine due to the complexity of the education required, Aigul decided to focus on the food service industry.
“This is a very personal pain and, in a way, a somewhat selfish decision by a mother — to prepare society so that my son can live in a normal environment. There is virtually no inclusion in our country. But we are the millennial generation: we have opportunities, experience and the desire to make a difference. Who, if not us, can change this wrong paradigm?” the entrepreneur says.
Ideal Employees: Order, Precision and a Salary
The Bolashaq Foundation helped turn the idea into reality. The organisation trained the young people in bakery skills and provided a behavioural analyst to help employees with special needs adapt to the workplace.
Six people are currently undertaking internships at the bakery — three before lunch and three after lunch.
For their parents, the opportunity for their children to find employment has been a genuine miracle.
“As one of the parents told me, when they first came to us for an interview, their grandfather recited a bata (blessing) so that everything would work out. Not a single parent asked about the salary, even though we pay them a full salary, just like regular bakers. They said only one thing: ‘Please take him. If you teach him, he will be able to do everything,’” Aigul recalls.
She notes that people with autism can be ideal employees when it comes to routine tasks. They appreciate repetition, order and rules.
Aigul recalls an incident when a regular employee simply ignored a bent edge on a packaging box. A colleague with autism noticed it, pointed out the problem and carefully corrected the defect.
Not a Single Grant, but Tremendous Support from People
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the “Tata” bakery’s story is the complete lack of government assistance.
“We received no assistance from the government or major businesses at all. We did not receive a single grant, and we have no benefits or financing programmes. Everything was done entirely with our own money,” the founder says.
Society, however, has provided support. Ordinary people, particularly parents of other children with disabilities, offered their services free of charge: someone installed electrical wiring, someone made the sign, while others brought paintings.
According to Aigul, people simply lack opportunities to contribute to something good.
At the same time, she is adamant that the bakery should not operate as a charity. It must be a financially sustainable and profitable business — only then will the project be able to scale.
That is why the bakery focuses uncompromisingly on quality, using 92% fat butter and the most expensive cinnamon.
Fear of Failure and Plans for Major Cities
Aigul does not hide the fact that she is afraid. She fears that the business may fail, because if it does, the hope that people like her son have a future in Kazakhstan could also disappear.
She cites heartbreaking examples of successful professionals who left everything behind and moved abroad solely to provide a safe future for their children with autism.
“I always urge people not to make older or other neurotypical children responsible for the life of a sibling with special needs. They did not ask for this. I would like this child to be so well integrated into society and protected by the state that they would not need extremely complex support from their relatives,” the doctor says candidly.
Despite all the challenges, the project is already planning to expand.
The next city to get an inclusive bakery will be Almaty, with the opening planned for the end of this year or next year. Shymkent is next in line.
Watch the full interview with Aigul Yeshmatova on the Tiek YouTube channel.