KOCHI: The pandemic outbreak and the ensuing lockdown saw the cropping up of many home chefs and bakers offering specially curated treats made in small batches. Cinnamor, a gourmet cinnamon roll venture started by Gulf-returnee siblings Muhammed Sabith and Muhammed Safwan, is one that stands out for exclusively offering the iconic American dessert staple to Kochiites.
“After returning from Saudi Arabia in 2014, my brother and I craved cinnamon rolls. It is one of our favourite sweets. But they were not readily accessible in Kerala back then. So for a long time, we had been planning to start an exclusive cinnamon roll outlet; it finally took shape during the lockdown,” said Sabith.
Safwan, who is also a chef, came up with the recipe along with a few unique flavour additions. However, there were a few hurdles the duo had to face. “The dish is not very familiar among people here.” Another challenge was the pricing, customers initially failed to recognise the rolls as gourmet speciality desserts and perceived the prices to be high.
“Our other concern was sourcing the best quality cinnamon. We spent a year just sampling various varieties from the local market and standardising the taste of our rolls,” said Safwan.“Instagram helped us in connecting with customers. We found that a lot of people were waiting for a product like this. Customers have also formed a close bond with us through Instagram, regularly sharing their opinions and feedback, and helping us optimise our product,” he added.
Stating that the pandemic had minimal impact on their business, the brothers are happy they could bring joy to their customers during tough times with their sweet rolls. ‘We see Cinnamor evolving into a franchise model and are already in talks to set up our exclusive outlets,” said Sabith.The rolls come in flavours such as classic (cream cheese frosting), chocomor (rich homemade chocolate sauce), and pecamor (salted caramel with a touch of pecan nuts).
Customers can place their orders on the Instagram @cinn_amor