Honey
Bun is preparing to turn its Swirls bakery café concept into a franchise operation, with plans to expand the fresh-baked sandwich and pastry brand across Jamaica and eventually into regional markets.

Chief Executive Officer Daniel Chong told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting that the company sees the concept as a scalable retail model that could be replicated through franchising once the brand is firmly established locally.

“We do have plans to expand throughout Jamaica with multiple stores,” Chong said, noting that customer feedback from the existing locations has been encouraging.

The move follows Honey Bun’s acquisition of the Swirls brand in June 2024, a deal that brought the fast-casual bakery concept under the company’s umbrella and positioned it as a new consumer-facing arm of the business.

The original Swirls outlet in Half-Way-Tree has been operating for more than a decade but was only formally integrated into Honey Bun’s operations within the last financial year.

“We felt it was best not to have it as an independent operation but to give it the support to grow,” Chong told shareholders.

Honey Bun has since opened a second Swirls location in New Kingston, marking the first step in what executives describe as a gradual expansion of the brand across the island.

In its early stages, the company plans to open at least one additional location per year, before accelerating the rollout once the concept gains further traction.

Over time, Honey Bun expects the network could grow to around a dozen outlets across Jamaica.

Swirls is built around what the company describes as a “fresh bake retail theatre” concept, where bread and pastries are prepared on site and turned into sandwiches and other quick-serve meals for customers.

Executive Director Michelle Chong said the format allows customers to watch the baking process while receiving freshly prepared food, helping the brand stand out in Jamaica’s crowded fast-food market.

The outlets offer items such as sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, and baked pastries, alongside beverages, targeting commuters, students, and office workers looking for quick meal options.

Beyond Jamaica, Michelle told the
Business Week that the concept has already begun attracting interest from potential partners in other Caribbean markets.

“Right now we have interest from a few small islands. Cayman being the primary one,” she said.

The expansion of Swirls will also be supported by Honey Bun’s new Angels production plant in St Catherine, which significantly increases the company’s manufacturing capacity and provides the scale needed to supply both wholesale customers and retail outlets.