BANGALORE: Started by Dianath Arshad and Mothasim Arshad in 2014 under the parent company Renowned Foods, this start-up aims to take the consumers back to the roots with authentic baking and introduce them to the concept of healthy baking. Located in Benson Town, the factory uses a state-of-the-art technology for its products and promises to deliver quality breads and baked goods from the factory to the table.
The family of third generation bakers have been in the baking business for about 120 years. In 2014, young, inspired Arshad brothers, while researching on the nuances of bread and baked products, found that there was a need for authentic breads and cookies in the market which made them come up with this start-up BREA.
“We derive inspiration from our grandfather, whose aim was to put his humble bread on every breakfast table in Bengaluru. He inspires and guides us in each one of our endeavours,” says Dianath, founder and MD of BREA.They started BREA with a seed fund of Rs 3 lakh and the brand currently has 16 Stock Keeping Units (SKU) and retail products available across 200 outlets, like MK Retail and Nature’s Basket to name a few.
With their B2B Products, they have partnered with multiplexes, restaurants, coffee chains, corporate clients like Sap Labs and Bangalore Turf Club. It also launched its first stand-alone live bakery at Kempegowda International Airport which gives a never-seen-before experience to the travellers.“We have five kinds of bread — white, brown and multi-grain, the Delhi kulcha, burger bun and Mumbai Pav. We have launched our authentic Bengaluru cookies in eight variants, premium packaged, showcasing and celebrating Bengaluru.
One can choose from a wide range of Bengaluru cookies like butter, green chilly-curry leaves, cashew-almond, classic khara, ginger- jaggery, butter salted in the regional range. In the Gourmet cookie range, we have double chocolate, choco-chips Bangalore Cookies,” says Mothasim, chef, director, produce and operations.
They say though there are similar products in the market their understanding of the recipe, method and ingredients set them apart. “These kind of cookies are exclusive to BREA and the menu at our café is a world bakery one where we have handpicked popular bakery products from across the globe and presented them,” says 44-year-old Dianath, while Mothasim adds, “Our product is our hero. We use non-bromate improvers and natural herb and plant extract. We are the first commercial bread manufacturers to implement clean label policy in India. Age-old baking processes, ethnic products with authentic recipes, quality ingredients and use of natural herb extract preservatives is the USP of our brand.”
Speaking about the challenges they faced while establishing this start-up, Dianath says, “Acceptance at retail and distributor level, and educating the customer about the product USP were our main challenges. Initially, the challenges were to maintain the quality of the product, facilitate and provide the best technology for the products. Sourcing raw materials was also a challenge. With a skilled team of innovators, we were able to overcome all these shortcomings.”
BREA has received certification from bodies like FSSAI and HACCP. The products spell innovation and creativity. The retail cookies are stored in tin boxes and each box tells stories of Bengaluru. The brand philosophy aims at taking the consumer back to the roots, but with a twist.
When asked if they had any trouble finding staff, Mothasim says, “We actually did not have any trouble with regards to staff members as we had a couple of chefs in our family who worked with us. We also have a tie-up with two orphanages. We induct boys once they are 16 years, train them with a skill and appoint them for a certain role.”
Sharing their future plans, the Arshad brothers say, “Getting a bigger production facility is our future plan, and we target to get the best employer award. We also want to become the biggest employment generator in Bengaluru. We want to have standalone stores across India and finally become a globally known brand.” Advising start-up aspirants, Dianath says, “Stay true to your dream. Give back to society more.”
In a nutshell