Make room for some bagels

Bag a Bagel owner Hamza Qazi talks about bagel culture and nutritional value.

ISLAMABAD:

Trying to make its mark in the capital, Bag a Bagel Islamabad plans to tap into newer markets for better profits.

Hamza Qazi, a 28-year-old entrepreneur, brought the Bag a Bagel franchise from Karachi to the capital city about four months ago. Qazi said that bagels are not just bakery items, they are more of a culture that people needed to adopt in Pakistan. Having lived in Montreal, Canada, Qazi said bagels were all that he ate as not a snack but proper meal and wanted to introduce that to the capital. “Bagels are not supposed to be finger food, people over here dip them in tea and have it,” he said. “There is definitely a need for creating a market for this product.” he added.

He explained that the six-hour process to make a bagel is strenuous but worth it. The bread, which is boiled and not fried, manages to retain its nutritional value, which makes it healthier than a lot of other snacks available in the market. “It’s quick, easy and healthy — what more do people want?” asked Qazi. Adding to that, he said that many of his friends who own gyms, recommend bagels as meal replacements to their clients. “People are becoming calorie conscious; and they are opting for healthier options all the time,” said Qazi.

Bag a Bagel has also started sandwich thins which are low-cal bread slices that are high in nutrition and low on fat and are served in different flavours such as oats and honey. “I would have a bagel because it’s filling and fulfills the daily quota of my carbohydrate intake,” said Maheen Syed. “It’s a perfect 300-calorie meal for any time of the day.”



Stocking at three petrol pumps and a store in Kohsar Market, Qazi has managed to make bagels popular in a short period of time. Priced at Rs120 for three big bagels or Rs120 for 12 mini bagels, they come in 25 different flavours, even blackberry and cranberry. Hot Spot in Islamabad was the first to start bagels, soon followed by another competitor in the F10 market MJ Bakers. And while both the places have added bagels to their menus, they do not meet the needs of a bagel lover. Hot Spot does not sell it every day and MJ only has a limited variety like the traditional seeded ones.

Baking for charity

Qazi said everyday from 7am to 3pm, bakers make approximately 100 bagels a day which can be stocked at stores for no longer than 40 hours. After two days, whatever of the stock is left is repacked and then given to poor families. According to Qazi, some needy families are supplied Bag a Bagel on a regular basis. “Bag a Bagel charity is going to expand as well in the upcoming days,” said Qazi.

New venture

Selling bagels was just not enough. Qazi feels that people in Pakistan do not experiment with new bakery items, so it takes a while for certain items to become part of our culture, like cupcakes, which became popular over a period of time. Soon to launch Hot Bake — a branch of Bag a Bagel — will fulfill demands of clients who want to stick to traditional bakery items such as doughnuts, pastries, brownies and cakes. With a menu of 118 items, Hot Bake, which is in process at the moment, will open its first branch in Bahria Town in the upcoming month but orders can always be placed online.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 10^th, 2013.

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