The Tale of Bishwa’s Two Bakeries

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Bishwa Pati is one of several franchisees this year who is doubling their bakery count! Bishwa became a multi-site franchisee at the beginning of July 2021, when he took over the COBS Bread bakery at Calgary’s Glenmore Landing. He has been with COBS Bread since 2016, when he first opened the Marda Loop bakery.

We had a quick chat with Bishwa (in his words, things are a little hectic right now- but good!) to find out what he’s learned about being a multi-site owner.

Plan Your Staffing & Invest Time In Your Team

First thing’s first- to run to bakeries, you need to have the people-power to do it!

Bishwa’s Bakery Manager from Marda Loop has been with him since the bakery opened 5 years ago. “Pravesh is my right-hand at the bakery,” says Bishwa. Pravesh also helped train Mohan, who started at the bakery over three years ago. With that training, he is also in the position to run a bakery. Having these two reliable and knowledgeable bakery leaders allows Bishwa to have the confidence that he could run two bakeries up to his and his customers’ expectations. Pravesh is now at Glenmore most of the time, and Mohan is able to step up and maintain the operations at Marda Loop.

Product Quality

With the assurance of having a strong leaders at the helm, Bishwa knew he was in a great position to be able to train up a new team of bakers.  These bakers need to be able to achieve that all-important product consistency COBS Bread is known for.

As a proud baker, business owner– not to mention a reputable pastry chef-– this was monumentally important for Bishwa. “I was feeling a bit stressed out at the thought of hiring new bakers,” he recalls. “But they are already doing such a great job. They’re passionate about learning about how to make beautiful French baguettes and sourdough, among all the other treats. They all love the part when you place the cuts on the dough before they go in the oven.”

Community Preferences

While COBS Bread bakeries have a core product range that they all make, the quantity will vary from bakery to bakery, depending on customer needs. “I was surprised at the difference in bread preferences of the customers between the two bakeries at first. ” Bishwa noted that although Sourdough is a customer favourite at Marda Loop, to his surprise, it is not the same case at Glenmore. “But the team has been making more Sourdough, and it’s so eye-catching and delicious… it’s starting to fly off the shelves!”

There is definitely a theme we are recognizing from our multi-site franchisees: they set operational and financial goals for their first bakery, and get the right people in the right roles when expanding to their second location. Focusing on product quality, with a passionate and committed team, and listening to different communities needs and preferences, is another recipe for success we have learnt from Bishwa and many others.

If you’re interested in franchising with COBS Bread, inquire today!