Nicole Hritcu, founder of Cuptorul Moldovencei - woman, entrepreneur, mother and entrepreneur for 10 years.

How was Cuptorul Moldovencei founded? What inspired you to start your entrepreneurial journey?

I have not always been an entrepreneur. But at the age of 30, with two children, I decided that it was necessary to take some risks in order to evolve. Besides, I couldn't have resigned myself to office life. My gut told me to do it and I did, and my persistence and determination paid off over time.

And it's not just determination; it's about actions, plans, goals, things done well, high standards and lots of play.

The mission and vision of the brand Cuptorul Moldovencei.

Vision: Out of respect for tradition and people, we reach as many homes as possible with popular pies and cakes, tasty and made from natural ingredients.

Mission: We want to be the market leader in Iași in terms of the number of customers and the frequency of purchases.

What steps do you take to stay one step ahead of the competition and innovative in your approach?

First of all, we do not deviate from the standards we assumed from the beginning: no margarine, no premixes, no nonsense.

Second, we come with the experience, with the logistics, with the development plans, with the resources that we have, and we are still driven by passion, curiosity and the desire to play.

Last but not least, we manage to satisfy the tastes of our customers, always reinventing ourselves. There is a major difference between what customers were looking for 10 years ago and what they are looking for now. The most obvious change is the trend that has crystallized in the last 5 years, to eat healthier, gluten-free, with less sugar or no sugar at all.

However, my business still remains a pleasure business, which aims to satisfy both the customers' appetites and their needs.

What does the Iasi Open tournaments mean for Cuptorul Moldovencei and for Iasi?

Nice question! Community. Initiative. Rigor. Potential. Life quality. Purchasing power. Support. Growth. Circuit.

Because by giving, you will gain. You lend your shoulder, you help, you build, and at some point, the results rub off on you.

Tennis has always seemed to me an extremely noble sport. Tennis people are beautiful, refined people and I think it's a nice sport to bring to Iași. And through this tournament, our city has a lot to gain.
It is true that we live in a country where oriental influences dominate and we lack the specific German or English rigor. But tennis has all these qualities and we will probably borrow them too, in order to align ourselves slightly, slightly, to higher standards. It matters a lot what you watch, who you watch, who you spend time with, what interests you have in your development.

So, it's a beautiful and refined event, which can generate some very nice results over time. And I like that very much. That's why we choose to support these tournaments as well.

As an entrepreneur, what strategies do you use to maintain a positive and motivated mindset, especially during difficult times?

Entrepreneurship has some characteristics that you have to master: one of them is loving difficulties.
When a challenge arises, you must be able to enjoy the moment, see the challenge, see the opportunity behind it, and look for solutions.

It's like a game of tennis, where you can't predict everything. And it can't be good all the time, because otherwise you wouldn't evolve. In positive scenarios, you can't really evolve, speaking of success and failure.

Success teaches you one lesson but failure teaches you 1000 lessons.

How does Cuptorul Moldovencei operate within the Iași Open tournaments, to improve the fan experience and create a lasting impression for both participants and customers of Cuptorul Moldovencei?

We love the rigor, refinement and high standard of this sport. Yes, we learn together what tennis is and how to play it. Keep an eye on us on the social media side of communication and everything we will be doing before and during the tournament. On the spot, of course, we will have a stand where we will have sweets and liquors, with which to cool the public after they have been served a lot of adrenaline on the field.

And, of course, we want all the guests of the tournament, as well as the players and volunteers who will be there, to enjoy their well-deserved break between games at the Cuptorul Moldovencei stand in the Fan ZONE.

This tour is extraordinary and the whole entrepreneurial environment should be in the socket, because Iasi will be visited by beautiful people and it is our chance to be good hosts so that they want to come back and feel good here, and later, to talk about us and others.

Whether we are aware of it or not, these are tools with which we create the city's brand in real time - Destination Iași.

What is your CTA for tennis fans?

I urge them to come and watch the games, see the players they admire, take from them what they feel they would use: strength, determination, flair, performance, posture and so on.

And last but not least, to realize that as long as we exercise and have an active lifestyle, we can treat ourselves to a portion of healthy and clean sweets.

It is very important to understand that an innocent pleasure from time to time is actually beneficial.

EXTRA: How do the values of Cuptorul Moldovencei intersect with the Iași Open tennis tournaments?

The values of my business are respect, tradition, pleasure and community. There are four very strong values that make us and our business move forward.

I feel that respect is clearly a shared value. Undeniably, tradition goes hand in hand with tennis. And if we are to think of pleasure as joy, that in some places they overlap, this is also a value that can be considered common, through the joy of the game, the pleasure of winning and so on. And I'm not talking about the community anymore.

After all, all these groups where things are organized that bring people together at the same time and place, to live in unison through joy, clapping, shouting, crying, it's an extraordinary community, so we can tick that as a common value .