Secret in the City
BREA has its roots firm in the city’s history, dating back to the 1920s when the family operated as a home bakery.
A bakery that has its roots firm in the city’s history, dating back to the 1920s.
Their bread and paos with sleek packaging are a common sight on supermarket shelves. You may have also stopped by their kiosks for a cup of coffee and some butter biscuits, but BREA is more than just a bakery. It has its roots firm in the city’s history, dating back to the 1920s when the family operated as a home bakery with an outlet within the house premises.
The Historic Connect Famously known as the AM Bakery & Café, the establishment went commercial to bring to the city, the first real confectionery under the name of Crown Bakery. “My great grandparents would bake at home and one of the sons would take care of the delivery,” says Dianath, 43, Managing Director, BREA.
Increase the Volume Switch to present day and fourth generation bakers, brothers Dianath and Mothasim are running a successful commercial bakery unit that supplies all over the city, constantly reviving old family recipes to bring back the glory days of the city’s bakery culture. “Our strength has always been 'quantity'. We started out with supplying the Mumbai pao to Goli Vada Pav outlets and to single screen cinemas all over the city,” explains Dianath, adding that a recent order they received was of 10,000 quiches.
Fresh Ideas The business skipped the third generation which took to other professions and returned in a branded and packaged form with Mothasim, who trained under his grandfather O Syed Rehman and is creating little bundles of nostalgia with flour. “The bread culture in the country is currently European and we want to go back to Indian bread like the Mumbai pao, Goan poi and Delhi Kulchas,” says Dianath. BREA is soon looking to introduce a range of cookies inspired by the famous Iyengar Bakeries in town. From butter biscuits to the famed Khara Pak, Dil Pasand and the Khoa Naan, you’ll find everything here.