• Entrepreneur Nirvana Mahase opens up about motherhood, sacrifice, and the years of chaos that shaped the café she built for her daughter’s future.

Café Bellvana is a small but captivating business that many Guyanese café-goers are familiar with; its charming aesthetic and vibrant menu have earned it a loyal following. What most customers may not know, however, is that behind the business is the inspiring story of a mother who built it from scratch with a small child by her side. The woman behind the business, Nirvana Mahase, says the business was never part of a carefully structured dream, but rather a response to life’s uncertainties after becoming a mother and rebuilding her life. Today, as the café continues to attract new customers, Mahase says the business stands as a testament to the strength of mothers and as a guiding light and a door to new opportunities for her daughter.

Born and raised in Region Two, on the Essequibo Coast, Mahase says she has always had an interest in entrepreneurship. In an interview with the Pepperpot Magazine, Mahase recounts her childhood, saying her primary school days saw her selling small items at school. While she loved entrepreneurship, Mahase says that love was rooted in a difficult childhood, one in which her parents faced financial challenges and later separated.

“In primary school, I would sell pencils or erasers, or anything popular at the time. I always had that little bit of entrepreneurial struggle, that leadership capacity in terms of leading things and doing things.”

Following high school, Mahase left to further her education at the University of Guyana but was unable to complete her studies, as she explained, “I started university and was doing law, but I never finished because of financial reasons and all the travelling arrangements.”

However, this did not stop her love or pursuit of business, and Mahase soon found herself in the world of entrepreneurship. But like many first steps, this business was not a success. Speaking on what this business taught her, Mahase shared, “What I learned from that business was what not to do if I ever did get off the ground, because it was one of those businesses where there was a lot of investment upfront.”

While it was not a success, it was a profound learning experience and the step that would solidify Mahase’s love for business, as she added, “After that business, that is where I started my business-owning skills.”

In the years that followed, Mahase, with the support of her then-partner, launched a number of innovative business ventures, some even ahead of their time. However, life shifted in 2016 following their separation. Sharing insight into this time of her life, Mahase said that it was a period of rebuilding that felt like survival, noting, “I became a mother in 2013, so my daughter had just turned three when we separated.”

She added that the need to create and sustain life, not just for herself but for her daughter, saw her open Café Bellvana.

“That is when I started Bellvana in 2017. Bellvana is actually a combination of my name and my daughter’s name, Nirvana and Arabella.”

Building a business while raising a three-year-old was no easy task. As Mahase shared, the business began essentially with just the land, and getting it off the ground required a leap of faith. She noted that she considered renting and a number of other ventures, but a café seemed to be the best option at the time.

While she was unsure, Mahase said that starting the business was a necessity rather than a calculation. As she shared, “It was really the need for survival that pushed me into it. Back then, rental was not what it is today, so renting it out would not have covered what I needed to make life work.”

The business began to gain more traction in what was, at the time, a small market, and growth pushed Mahase to develop the café further, as she added, “Bellvana was not supposed to be a dining café. It was supposed to be similar to a Starbucks-themed idea. I had the space, but I didn’t cater for a dining area. People wanted to dine in, and I needed to follow where the money was. I had bills to pay, a child to look after.”

By the end of 2018, Bellvana’s dine-in section had become a favourite among customers.

Since then, Café Bellvana has continued to grow with the support of loyal customers. As Mahase shared, while the growth has not been rapid, it has been consistent and sustainable.

“Our growth has been at a good level. Not accelerated growth, but a steady and sustainable pace.”

A major reason the business has remained consistent is balance. As Mahase shared, at first she struggled to find a balance between business and motherhood. Many days, she found herself in what she described as chaos, with long hours and little rest. She knew she had to make a change to her routine, explaining that, “Growing up in a single-parent home and in poverty, I was not taught a lot of basic things about structure, saving energy and prioritising.”

While it took several years to master, Mahase says she now feels that she has found a rhythm between motherhood and business, adding, “Now, I have routines. There are certain things I do in the morning and certain things I do in the afternoon. By four in the afternoon, I’m checked out of certain things that require intense attention.”

Even today, almost a decade later, Mahase says her daughter remains her biggest motivator. For her, Café Bellvana is more than a business; it has been her way of giving her daughter a better life than she had.

As she shared, “My biggest motivator for staying in this is to support my daughter and give her more than just the basics. To provide her with opportunities that I was not offered. I grew up in poverty. Not poverty like some people, but I grew up in poverty. I grew up in a world where you wear hand-me-downs and are in front of certain things.”

She further shared that, more than just money, she wanted to give her daughter the opportunities she did not have, adding, “Money does not buy happiness, but it certainly puts you in places and gives you opportunities that you could not have without it. If it wasn’t for her, I would have quit this business a long time ago.”

While Mahase may have walked away from the café if not for her daughter, today she is proud of what the business has become. She admitted that in the early years, she was filled with uncertainty, a challenging feeling that many mothers and entrepreneurs know well.

Looking back at her own journey, Mahase says if she could speak to other mothers beginning the same path, she would urge them to leap, but not wildly. As she shared, single mothers in business have more to risk than most, and they must be both bold and cautious.

“As a mom, especially a single mom, you have to manage your income, your child and yourself. If you’re going to venture into business, then you also have to mitigate those risks around you.”

She added, “My advice would be not to make the same mistakes, but also not to hold yourself back. Just be calculated about it.”

As Café Bellvana approaches its ninth year, Mahase says she is more hopeful than ever, not just for the business, but for what it represents and what it has taught both mother and daughter.