Some 25 years ago, the Lova family struck out on their own and started a snack shop.

The business model was simple. They sold cheap pork buns out of their small shack at Vaigaga. 

Customers loved the $1 price tag - and the baked-in taste, which has helped them to expand their business to grow beyond an eatery and into a fully fledged shop. 

Today, Mose’s store at Vaigaga is still attracting customers with their original business staple: low priced baked goods. 

Bethel Lova, a 24-year-old entrepreneur is juggling the responsibility of managing his parents’ business and doing the baking himself. 

He told the Samoa Observer that there has been a significant increase in the businesses’ product range but also its presence as a store. 

“We started off with selling pork buns at our old shack which has only one window open to customers,” he said. 

“Our family struggled to maintain our small business at first and as for now everything is going smoothly despite the impact of COVID-19.”

The family bakes to support their daily needs and pay for their children’s education.

The year of 2005 proved a pivotal point for the family business; they grew their humble bakey into a bigger shop with two windows open to customers.

Mose’s store is unfailingly packed with customers coming to buy coffee and, of course, their famous pork buns.

Mr. Lova said that the morning breakfast rush is the store’s peak business time. 

“Our customers would rush to buy our pastries and have breakfast in front of the store,” he said. 

“Our store is well known for our pork buns as that is where it all started from.”

The family expanded its product range into other goods; a departure from their tried and true formula that has paid dividends. 

Mose’s store now sells different varieties of baked goods and general products.

Mr. Lova told the Samoa Observer that what they have now is built on the shoulders of their parents' hard work.

“My parents are the spine of our business, they were the ones who kept it going even though business was slow back then,” he said.

“I look up to my parents of how far we have come from humble beginnings into something real which attracts a lot of people.”

The store also reaps benefits from its Vaigaga location and the pedestrian foot traffic that provides for a steady flow of potential customers. 

Mr. Lova said despite the difficult economic conditions caused by the pandemic lead downturn their business is a rare success story and example of a business whose profit margins are increasing,