Binod Ojha, 35, is a native of Pokhara. His father was a retired British Army officer, and his brother served in the Nepali Army. As a result, Binod felt pressure to join the military. However, he was not interested in that path; instead, he had been inclined toward entrepreneurship since childhood.
While pursuing his bachelor’s degree, he dropped out and started a bakery business called Bro Bakery.
Remaining consistent
The sole aim of Bro Bakery, which has been operating for the past 12 years, is ‘No compromise in quality.” The raw materials used in the products of Bro Bakery are imported from France, Italy and other various countries. The only thing Bro Bakery uses from Nepal is electricity. Otherwise, everything is imported.
According to Binod Ojha, the flour used to make cakes, croissants, pastries, and other items is imported from Italy and France. The flour costs Rs 400-500 per kg. Raw materials such as cream, butter, chocolate, sea salt, and other necessary ingredients for bakery items are imported from Europe. The imported materials last for 15 to 20 days.
“The health of the customer is our prime concern so we do not compromise with the quality of our products,” says Binod Ojha. To maintain consistency in quality, Ojha personally bakes the bakery items. For the same reason, all the bakery items are baked at the main outlet of Bro Bakery in Chandol and supplied to all the other outlets, except for Pokhara.
The cost
A croissant costs Rs 250 in Bro Bakery. “I have often heard people complaining about the expensive price of our products,’ says Ojha, “But once they try our products, they will understand why they are relatively expensive.”
Regarding the price, Ojha says they earn a profit of Rs 10-15 from a croissant. Getting a croissant for Rs 250, made with ingredients imported from Europe, is a reasonable price. A croissant of the same quality in Europe would cost 5 to 6 euros, which amounts to Rs 700 to 900, he says.
The main goal of Bro Bakery is to provide bakery items of European standards in Nepal. Besides Nepali, Bro Bakery also has foreign customers. Ojha started the business with an investment of Rs 5 million, his family supported him financially.
To enhance his skills and knowledge of bakery items, he annually travels to different European and Asian countries and takes training from well-known chefs. “I have spent millions on such training. The more training I take, the more it enhances my skills,” says Ojha.
He also shares the skills and knowledge he gained from the training with his staff. So far, Bro Bakery has six outlets, located in Thamel, Chandol, Basundhara, Pulchowk, Sanepa and Pokhara. While opening six outlets in the last 12 years, a total of 200 million have been already invested in Bro Bakery. Over 50 people are employed in the Bro Bakery.
Binod Ojha is satisfied with the business that Bro Bakery is generating from its six outlets. Each outlet does the business of Rs 70,000 to Rs 1,00,000 per day. Various hotels around the city also order bakery items from the Bro Bakery.
When asked about the recipe Bro Bakery uses for its items, Binod Ojha says there’s a secret, and he doesn’t want to share it. Many local raw material suppliers have approached Ojha to use their products, but Bro Bakery has kept its distance from them. Ojha says that once someone tries Bro Bakery’s items, they become a regular customer.
“We will always give our best to maintain the consistency in our products, ” says Ojha.
Determined for quality
Further talking about the raw materials and other stuff Ojha says that the Bro Bakery uses the world’s most expensive butter and cream. “Those materials are used by the world’s best chefs,” he says.
Besides the raw materials, Bro Bakery also uses a top-notch oven and other tools. “We want to improve the quality of our products even further,” says Ojha, “If we are unable to import raw materials, we will stop production—there is no chance of compromising on quality.”
