Two and a half years ago Avon Griffiths and Nikeisha Reynolds started The Bread Pudding Factory, located in Bog Walk , St Catherine, out of a need to earn additional income, as well as putting their skills to use.

Reynolds told the Jamaica Observer that the novel coronavirus pandemic “also highlighted the reality that no job security was etched in stone.” In the short time, the owners have come out with diverse products to satisfy the taste buds of clients across the island of Jamaica.

The Bread Pudding Factory currently offers gourmet bread puddings in unique flavours and packaging aimed at attracting consumer spend, Reynolds told Sunday Finance.

“Our team strategically selects each flavour to capture all age groups.”

The yummy treats are then packaged “to ensure monetary value, quality, consistency and appeal,” she added.

The Bread Pudding Factory employs two part-time workers. A typical day, Monday-Wednesday, starts with the team conducting housekeeping duties such as market/product trends, internal and external customer matters, stock count and product reordering for low or perishable ingredients for bread and bread pudding batter and dough preparation.

All team members help in producing pudding flavours which include rum and raisin with sticky rum glaze; chocolate chip with salted caramel; coconut-pineapple upside down with pina colada glaze (seasonal offer); Oreo-coffee with salted caramel; berry bliss with bourbon cream cheese glaze; and red velvet with cream cheese glaze (seasonal).

Reynolds shared, “We also add additional flavours for special times of the year and to also engage our consumers with non-traditional flavours periodically.”

Mapping

To ensure organised and on-time customer deliveries, immediately after the order window closes, a route mapping is conducted to confirm customer locations and estimated delivery times.

The excitement begins at 6 am on Fridays and Saturdays when all freshly baked and cooled products are properly dressed with selected glazes, packaged and then labelled for their final destination.

The CEO said, “With our current staffing, organisation, transparency and effective communication where each individual understands their role is a key factor to eliminate confusion and lack of productivity.”

As a medium-sized company, sourcing raw materials can oftentimes prove challenging based on quantities being purchased at any given time. With the niche products offered, packaging plays a major role in aesthetics as consumers first”eat with their eyes”.

Packaging that complements brand and appeal is not readily available locally and leads to engaging overseas manufacturers that require large volume purchasing, import fees and fluctuating exchange rates.

Reynolds said,”The fluctuating exchange rates are at the forefront of our quarterly/yearly projections and strategic planning that affects us negatively due to imported packaging, fuel cost and baking ingredients. Packaging and energy costs cannot be passed on to consumers at the alarming rate that manufacturers are facing, and thus negatively affects reinvesting to facilitate projected growth.”

Funding

In the beginning, accessing funding for production and market expansion at The Bread Pudding Factory were the tough challenges for the entrepreneurs, and still remains so.

Reynolds said, “The way we are dealing with these challenges is by acquiring the assistance of a business strategist who understands how to navigate the investment playing field and how to position brands in the marketplace.”

Much of the personal resources of its owners have been invested in the business. Additionally, The Bread Pudding Factory has so far benefited significantly from grants offered by Development Bank of Jamaica to propel the business in targeted areas such as business structure and growth.

However, the owners said more is needed.

Seeking funding from banks has been very challenging, with Reynolds noting, “There is too much red tape. There has been a disconnect with information publicised to start-up businesses at workshops/seminars. The actual reality… is daunting.”

Grandma Bread

Pressing ahead, the team is always involved in innovation. A house speciality is a sweet braided bread/cake which originated in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe.

Reynolds explained, “Our doughs are enriched with 100 per cent cows milk, butter and eggs, slow fermentation to achieve great taste and digestion and filled with natural and handmade fillings such as blueberry cream cheese babka; cinnamon walnut and chocolate babka; cinnamon walnut grandma; chocolate grandmother; and Biscoff cookie butter babka (seasonal offer).

The entrepreneur said, “Babkas are perfect for anytime of day with a cup of your favourite hot beverage or a glass of wine. They can be eaten cold, warm or toasted. Either way, they are taste bud pleasers.”

Another crowd-pleaser is “condensed milk bread” which is enriched dough with long fermentation, high hydration to ensure softness and, according to the baker, “melts in your mouth when baked and then topped with a milky buttery glaze”.

It is a plain sandwich bread with a hint of sweetness, which Reynolds describes as, “perfect for your breakfast sandwiches or just as is.”

Currently, all orders for The Bread Pudding Factory are placed via the company’s Instagram page or by WhatsApp. Delivery is offered in parts of Kingston and St Catherine. For all other parishes, Knutsford Express is used for deliveries.

The Bread Pudding Factory supplies CPJ Montego Bay with its babkas for retail sales. Plans to supply other retail outlets will soon to be announced, Reynolds said.

The company’s co-founder said flavour variety and unique offering sizes are the company’s bestselling points. Most in demand is the variety pack (four units) bread puddings. With this, the customer gets a variety of flavours all in one customisable package.

Reynolds shared, “The Bread Pudding Factory products were carefully selected to appeal to both middle- and upper-income individuals of both genders.

They target consumers who delight in food aesthetics, desiring to experience new products bursting with flavour intensity and leading to lasting memories.

Reynolds said, “The Bread Pudding Factory in our seasons of growth will be a Jamaican brand built on love, warmth, trust, integrity and quality for generations to come.”