Our Story

A Letter from the
Chief Connoisseur of the Sweet Life

Hey Sweeties,

Picture this: The year was 2003 and my twin boys, Folahan and Folarin, had just made a grand entrance. Turns out they were the first chapter of the most incredible plot twist of my life. Autism soon took centre stage and upended our normal. Late one night, brain foggy from autism research, I stumbled into my kitchen in search of a distraction. I baked…and baked…and baked…and created a whole new world filled with the sweetest offerings. I soon found a joyful rhythm that became part of my daily routine – full-time wife, mum of 4, and ‘autism researcher’ by day, Fairy Godmother of Baked Joy by night. Before long, thanks to family, friends and word of mouth (no pun intended), Scrumptious Options was born.

Alas, more than a few of my fellow sweetie-zens found “scrumptious,” well, a mouthful to pronounce, and after we had seen and heard it all (scrum-chums, scrump-chows…), we were more than inspired to rebrand. I landed on a derivative of my sons’ nicknames – Folahan’s Hanny became “Hans” and Folarin’s Rinny became “René.” Thus, ladies and gentlemen, Hans and René made its debut...

I kept working out of my home kitchen until my long-suffering husband (Mr B!) had his fill of customers sauntering into our living room to pick up their orders. He offered the extension of his office in Victoria Island as our very first bakery in 2011. Shortly thereafter, in-between school drop-offs with my older two, I also went back to school to master the fine art of gelato at the Caprigiani Gelato University in Italy. Clearly, we’re not called the Connoisseurs of the Sweet Life™ for nothing.

In 2012, I took a leap of faith and a leave of absence: I handed the reins to my team and moved to Cape Town in search of the best care for Hanny and Rinny. I shuttled between Lagos, London and Cape Town from 2012-2015, determined to keep all the balls of my life juggling in midair. It was in the scenic calm of Cape Town that the next puzzle piece fell into place: I daydreamed about more extensive offerings beyond cakes and before long, my mind drifted back to my gelato days in Italy. Low fat, perfect weather in Lagos, a canvas with an abundance of options…yup, time for gelato to *finally* get the Hans and René treatment.

I shifted base back to Lagos, and in May 2015, we opened the first-ever gelateria in Nigeria at our flagship in Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Lagos. Because excellence is how we roll at Hans and René, in 2016, I enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in London to become a certified pâtissière (pastry chef) and graduated with a Merit in December 2017. *Chef’s kiss*

Speaking of plot twists, would you believe me if I told you that Hans means “God has been gracious” in German and René means “reborn” in French and German? I couldn’t make up a more fitting name for this journey if I tried. 8 years later, we have 8 outlets in Lagos and Abuja (and counting), over a hundred staff, and the SWEETEST tribe on the planet – and that’s on gelato. With all the changes over the years, one thing has remained unchanged – our unwavering commitment to our craft, country and our community. We’ve expanded our offerings to include an abundant spread of scrumptious (options…hehe), baked joys and gelato to rival the rainbow, each with a touch of the personal care and warmth that bloomed during a challenging time in my life.

I’ve come a long way from my home kitchen to bring joy closer to you in the most exciting ways – from your first bite to the last spoon, from your first stop after school to your first date, from your happiest days to your most difficult ones. Life happens. I get it. That’s why Hans and René is here to remind you that joy is always within reach if you know where to look.

This is how the story always begins.

Yours,
The Original Connoisseur of The Sweet Life,