Starting off his career in the Fashion Industry, Abdulaziz Al Najjar quickly found himself in a career shift as he opened his first bakery, Socrates, before expanding into the world of Macarons with “Roons”.
Whenever mentioning Roons, Abdulaziz can’t help but smile. This wasn’t just a bakery, it’s a passion. Roons has quickly become more than just a place selling macarons, it has become a must-try for people in Kuwait as he aims to make macarons not only a great dessert, but also something that you can even take to gatherings and family outings. It’s also unlike any macaron that you have tried before.
“We have different types of macarons; the shells, the ganache and the ‘bomb’. It’s in the middle of the macaron and it’s a flavorful pop in your mouth when you eat it that really blends well with the flavors.”
And they have many incredible flavors! Unicorn Marshmallow, Mango, Oreo, Banoffee, Birthday Cake, or even the Kuwaiti favorite Elba. All the different flavors are absolutely delicious in their own way.
What’s even more impressive is that Roons also holds a Guinness World Record for the largest display of macarons. “It started off as a joke with some friends that we should do something big and enter the Guinness World Records, but quickly turned into a type of passion project for me. Early on, we struggled to really make a name for ourselves and get people to try our macarons, but I knew our product was good and if anyone tried it, they would fall in love. We were meant to do this last year, but the logistics didn’t work out. Then we got a call from Al Hamra Mall to do it this year” said Abdulaziz.
The smile returned as his memories took him back to when he realized that this project was actually something that could be done. Abulaziz explained, “We researched all the requirements and got to it. Initially, it was supposed to be a tower of macarons but changed to the Kuwait Flag during the National Holidays. Even though it was incredibly stressful, it turned out perfectly and people loved it! Pictures were taken by anyone who passed and we began getting many orders from new customers.”
There was still one more move to be made. What happens to the 9,600 macarons once it’s time to remove the display? Well, an hour after the display was taken down, the macarons were already with customers. Abdulaziz added, “We were able to distribute all the macarons, we were sold out in two hours! And of course, we started receiving even more orders through the people who tried it and word of mouth.”
The part that was more unexpected than being sold out of all the macarons in a couple of hours, was that they actually ended up over-distributing and gave out a total of about 14,000!
This is all still a little bit of a blur to him. The achievement of what he has done, whether opening two bakeries with a third on the way or being part of the Guinness World Records, is something he’s proud of, but he hasn’t fully realized it just yet.
“If you work hard for something you truly believe in, anything is possible.”
Roons continues to grow and so does Abdulaziz with ideas and projects that are coming up. Ramadan brings with it a craving for sweets and Roons have not only released new flavors but also a new product, bite-sized macarons which are perfect for all types of gatherings.
We’re excited to see what’s in store as this journey continues!
Stay up-to-date with Roons by following them on Instagram @TryRoons.
