A bakery serving authentic confectionary and other products has become a pride of the Indian community and increasingly other ethnic groups in Auckland.
Mt Roskill based Bake & Beans recently completed three years of successful operations in July and confidently looks towards further growth and expansion, with possibilities of branches in other parts of the City in due course.
The growing list of customers gratifies owner Shally Rana, who struggled for several years working in other commercial establishments before embarking on this unique project.
“The market did not have the benefit of a genuine Indian bakery that uses healthy ingredients using the best processes possible. Every item sold at Bake & Beans is made at our own facility. All of them conform to concepts of Halal,” he said.
Mr Rana said that Halal is not confined to chicken, meat, beef and other non-vegetarian items. It includes bakery products such as biscuits and cakes. All the items made and sold at our retail store are free of animal fat and gelatine, which are also considered Halal,” he said.
As the sole owner employing six full-time staff, Mr Rana ensures that Bake & Beans conforms not only to high standards of hygiene and quality but also reasonable pricing.
“We ensure that our products are up to the tastes and preferences of our customers. We constantly add to our range, based on market demand. One of the benefits of having our own production facility and retail outlet is that we can change our range to the evolving tastes,” Mr Rana said.
Wide variety
Variety is the most significant factor at Bake & Beans with an extensive range of breads (ordinary, milk, toast, khari and nan khatai), biscuits (butter, salt, jeera), cakes (wedding, birthday, anniversary, special image and shape), puffs (chicken curry, chicken Manchurian, paneer chilly), rolls (vegetarian, chicken and lamb sausage), pies (butter chicken, chicken Manchurian, lamb and cheese, lamb and mince, spinach and cottage cheese).
“These are just a small list of items. We have more than 40 types of biscuits, cakes, breads and other products. We are constantly trying to extend the range,” Mr Rana said.
He said that Bake & Beans is also continuously expanding the number of vegetarian items in response to market demand.
The retail shop is open from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 7 pm, Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm and Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm.
Motels in India
Mr Rana is also proud of ‘Cheetal Grand Motel Private Limited,’ which he owns with his brothers in India. Located on a nine-acre plot along the Delhi-Mussoorie Highway, the Motel accommodates ten cottages and four restaurants that can seat up to 500 diners.
“The Motel is strategically located and caters to tourists and pilgrims going to Hardwar. Our restaurants serve Indian, American and Chinese cuisine. We are planning to open at least two more motels,” Mr Rana said.*
