BRAND FOCUS
bantam bagels
From Shark Tank to Starbucks
From a Brooklyn apartment kitchen to nationwide fame, the journey of Bantam Bagels is a testament to entrepreneurial grit and the pursuit of a dream. In this exclusive interview, co-founder, Elyse Oleksak, and author of A Shark Ate My Bagel, shares the story behind Bantam’s rise to prominence with KBP Editor, Kiran Grewal, including pivotal moments like the partnership with Starbucks.
Can you share with us the journey of Bantam Bagels, from its inception to its peak in the market, especially focusing on its unique selling points and key milestones? The story of Bantam Bagels began with an idea that struck my husband, Nick, in the middle of the night. From that moment – that lightbulb flash of genius moment – my husband and I were all in. We began by baking hundreds of batches in our Brooklyn apartment kitchen. On nailing the recipe, we opened a tiny shop in NYC’s West Village, learning about the New York food industry along the way. With the desire for Bantam Bagels established nationwide, (from exposure on QVC, Shark Tank, and Oprah’s Favorite Things), we grew our business to nearly every coffee shop (Starbucks) and grocery store in America. People specifically loved the idea of eating
bakeryproduction.co.uk
something authentic, nostalgic, and delicious in a fun, accessible way!
How did the partnership with Starbucks come about, and what impact did it have on the growth and visibility of Bantam Bagels? The partnership with Starbucks was perhaps our most critical growth milestone. It allowed Bantam to establish ourselves as a premium, on the go offering for EVERYONE across the United States. We worked our butt’s off to get that opportunity, beginning with three stores in NYC, and then 30, then 500, 1500 and on and on until we reached full National. At each expansion, Nick and I personally visited and handed out samples to customers at every single café. We learned about the operations, what customers wanted, and what they didn’t want. We poured every ounce of our beings into making that deal
happen. We were able to simultaneously grown and invest in our infrastructure to keep up with the expansion of Starbucks distribution in phases.
Could you discuss some of the challenges or obstacles that Bantam Bagels faced during its rapid expansion, particularly in terms of scaling production and maintaining quality? There wasn’t a single step forward that wasn’t paired with an equally devastating loss, mishap or calamity. One that stands out is from our first launch in grocery: “Bursting with excitement, Nick, Hannah, Chase and I fly out to San Francisco to see our Bantam Bagels on grocery store shelves first-hand. Running through grocery aisle after aisle, we search high and low for the first box of frozen Bantams. Nick asks a store staffer but nobody knows what he is talking
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