THE growing number of foreign tourists and expats in Cebu has prompted homegrown firm Baker Bob and Kate’s Bakery Products Inc. to create a new bakery concept in a kiosk setup, selling different flavors of bagels.
New York Bagel by Kate’s Bakery is the first bagel house in Cebu. The flagship bakery kiosk located in Ayala Center Cebu’s New Wing sells freshly-baked bagels in 18 different flavors.
Owner Katherin Ko Cheng has sought the expertise of David Bersard, a French baker, to run its first New York Bagel kiosk and facilitate the brand’s expansion programs in Visayas ans Mindanao in the future.
Bersard, who is the chief executive officer, said the opening of this new concept is meant to expand the bakery’s business format, which now has three brands—Kate’s, Baker Bob and Kimmies—each catering to specific market segments.
At present, the company has 15 branches, including one branch in Cagayan de Oro City.
Bresard said that aside from the strong tourism sector, the increased spending power of consumers, growing population and the expansion of malls in Cebu were also the factors that inspired them to open the bagel kiosk.
He is confident this new venture would earn positive market acceptance, especially that Filipino consumers are already bread-eaters.
“We won’t have difficulty wooing Cebuanos because you already have this bread culture imbedded,” said Bresard. Since the company’s soft-opening last month, the store has already gained good following from the locals and foreigners.
Bresard has declined to disclose the expansion programs for New York Bagel, but said that the company is always on the lookout for more opportunities knowing that Cebu’s retail landscape is growing and its middle-income class is expanding.