Broadway Bagels Finalists In The SFA National Small Business Awards 2006

Enterprise Ireland
www.envirocentre.ie

The short-list of finalists in the inaugural "SFA National Small Business Awards", partnered by O2 Ireland and Bank of Ireland Business Banking, were officially announced today by Angela Kennedy, Awards Director & SFA Chairperson. The aim of the awards is to celebrate the achievements of small business in Ireland, and to recognise the vital contribution of the small business sector to Irish industry.

"This year's finalists are representative of a diverse range of businesses, driven by single-minded people who perceived a need in the marketplace and followed their instincts with a drive and vision that epitomizes the essential elements of true entrepreneurship. This Awards Programme has set about to identify and acclaim the new entrepreneurial role models, across a variety of sectors, who have spawned new ideas, taken risks and who continue to make such a valid contribution to Ireland's growing innovation culture", Angela Kennnedy, Awards Director.

A top-class judging panel selected the short-list of finalists including:- Angela Kennedy, Awards Director & Chair of the SFA; Gerry McQuaid, Commercial Director of O2; Cathal Muckian, Director of Bank of Ireland Business Banking; Brian O'Kane, Managing Director of Oaktree Press and author of numerous business books; Frank Roche, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Smurfit School of Business; Rita Shah, Managing Director of Shabra Plastics and Packaging Ltd; and Richard Curran, Business Editor of the Irish Independent.

Food & Drink Awards Finalists
Broadway Bagels - Rosie Sheehan, Dungarvan, Co Waterford

Broadway Bagels Featured In Checkout Magazine

Checkout Magazine

Broadway Bagels is an award-winning family-owned bakery in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, producing authentic New York style bagels to the foodservice and retail sectors. In 2005, Broadway Bagels launched two retail offerings, 'Poppy' and 'The Works'. These 500g retail packs are pre-sliced, fully baked and frozen and go straight from freezer to toaster and are four to a pack. Broadway Bagels are healthy (nothing artificial added), convenient and trendy. They are low in fat, dairy-free and have no cholesterol. Due to overwhelming demand, Broadway Bagels will soon launch two new varieties 'Cinnamon and Raisin' (four-pack) and 'The Lunchbox Bagel' (six-pack).

Contact: Rosie Sheehan Tel: 1850 BAGELS (1850 224357)

Broadway Bagels Rise To The Superstore Challenge

The Sunday Times

The transition from artisan producer to supplying big chains takes a lot of planning.

Global brands such as Nestlé and Kellogg's may dominate supermarket shelves, but there's still space for new, innovative food companies to push through - if they know how to go about it.

Waterford based Broadway Bagels succeeded by creating a new food item in the form of sliced, frozen bagels.

The company was set up in 2002 when New Yorker Rosie Sheehan and Des, her Irish husband, spotted a gap in the market for Irish bagels.

Initially they set up a bagel bar in Dungarvan but "it was ahead of its time", according to Rosie. When it failed, the duo began supplying cafes and canteens around the country.

When members of the public started asking where they could buy the bagels, the couple knew they had found a market and set about building a brand.

Today Broadway Bagels operates out of a 5,000sq ft unit, employs eight people and makes 10,000 bagels a day, many sold through Tesco, Superquinn and Centra. Right now the company is gearing up for export to Britain and beyond.

"Before setting up in business, I had been working in an office in Manhattan and my husband was in construction, so we had no idea what to expect when it came to trying to get a supermarket listing," said Sheehan.

"We weren't negotiators. We weren't business people. We simply spotted a gap in the market and had absolute confidence in our product."

Their ignorance did them no harm. "We were also in a position where failure simply wasn't an option," she said. "We put all our money into the business."

The decision to ramp up from speciality producer to supermarket supplier is not to be taken lightly, said John Hickey of Hickey & Associates, which helps food businesses make the transition.

"Just 10 years ago the artisan producer would have evolved from supplying small local stores to multinational retailers through a natural process, their systems and capacity expanding gradually to match," said Hickey.

"That is no longer the case. Now the entrepreneur pretty much has to decide at the point of entry which route he or she is going to go."

It is, however, a good time to be an artisan producer looking for a supermarket listing.

Broadway Bagels Impressive Debut At Food & Drink Exhibition

Waterford News

Broadway Bagels was among the companies acclaimed in the Product of the Show awards at Ireland's new retail, food and drink event, Shop 2006, which took place in the RDS.

The show's coveted 'Product of the Show Awards' recognised the innovation and enterprise inherent in the food and retail industry.

Over 100 products were entered by companies for an award and the judges selected winners across seven categories, covering everything from best food, beverage, meat, confectionery to best retail technology.

Waterford-based company, Broadway Bagels, were highly commended in the Best Irish Food / Beverage Product category.

The company won the prize for 'The Works Bagel' and also launched two new products at the show; the Plain Lunchbox bagels and Cinnamon & Raisin bagels.

The judging panel, chaired by John McGrath of Dawn Farm Foods, included Teresa Brophy, Bord Bia, John O'Brien, Consultant, Miriam Atkins, Irish Food Magazine and Dermot McConnell, Musgrave Food Services.

Shop 2006 is Ireland's only international food and drink event. It hosted over 250 national and international exhibitors showcasing everything from, gluten free meals and exotic meats to organic spices and luxury handmade chocolates and from handmade gourmet pork products and farmhouse cheese to fresh fruit smoothies and vodka and berry liqueurs.

Over 5,000 national buyers attended the event, representing Multiples, Independent Retailers, Symbol Group, Wholesalers, Fore-court & Retail Shops, Convenience Stores, Bakeries, Butchers, Newsagents, Cash n' Carry, Off Licenses and Delis.

All visitors to the show had the opportunity to see the Product of the Show entries and winner's list, including Broadway Bagels of Waterford.

Broadway Bagels From Dungarvan

Business Waterford
By Justine O'Mahony

2006 heralds a bright future for Dungarvan based company, Broadway Bagels, which was set up by Des and Rosie Sheehan in 2001. Des is originally from Raheny and had previously worked in the construction industry in New York while Rosie, a native New Yorker, was an insurance claims processor. "We moved back in 2000 because we wanted to bring up our children here and we noticed a gap in the market for authentic bagels. Nobody was making them here. We reckoned it would be a great business to get into, lots of potential and if we didn't do it, someone else would," explains Rosie.

They spent months trying to perfect the recipe for their bagels. "In New York a bagel recipe is almost sacred. Nobody will tell you what it is. It's a very scientific process and we threw out bins of bagels before we come up with the formula we have now." They set up a bagel shop in a small mews in Dungarvan and subsequently started bringing the bagels around to various cafes and restaurants in Dublin. A year later they closed the bagel shop and decided to concentrate on wholesale. 'Something had to give. We were working flat out; I was pregnant with our third child and the shop just didn't take off. I think we were ahead of ourselves. I don't think Dungarvan was ready for it," maintains Rosie.

The Sheehan's were able to secure a distributorship for their wholesale business and from there the business finally took off. "All of our bagels are frozen, so we had to link up with a frozen foods distributor. The only problem was if you work through a distributor in the food sector you're taking away the brand identity." By summer 2003, the Sheehan's had people ringing them asking them where could they buy their bagels and so they decided to explore selling directly to the retail sector. Nearly three years later and their bagels are now being carried by most of the major supermarket chains throughout the country. "It's been a hard slog. We've had a couple of rough years where I had doubts about the business succeeding but Des never did. I've learnt that a lot of what the business is about is networking."

In 2004 Broadway Bagels moved to new premises on an industrial estate in Dungarvan and now employ seven people. "It started off with just Des, myself and a girl called Lisa Hilton and now there's seven of us. We're hoping to expand the range so there's a possibility of needing more staff," says Rosie. The company has also had interest from two other countries keen to import their bagels. "This is great but at the moment we want to concentrate on Ireland, to make sure the Irish market is being well served." 2006 looks good for Broadway Bagels. They've been nominated and shortlisted for two Business of the Year awards run by the Small Firms Association. "Things are going really well at the moment; we couldn't be happier."

Deli Style Bagels Featured In Food And Wine Magazine

Food And Wine Magazine

Husband and wife team Des and Rosie Sheehan from Dungarvan, County Waterford have launched their Broadway Bagel range which is currently on sale in the freezer departments of Tesco, Superquinn and Spar. Rosie is a native New Yorker and says the new bagel range is driven by the Irish consumer's desire for that real New York bagel experience. Broadway Bagel currently offers a poppy seed version and one that goes by the name of 'The Works made with poppy and sesame seeds, toasted garlic and red onion

Brand Of The Week: Broadway Bagels

Retail Intelligence Newsletter

The Authentic New York Bagel! Baked with loving care in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, by Rosie Sheehan (New York City) and her husband Des, Broadway Bagels are now available and offer value and innovation to the frozen food category in Ireland.

Irish consumers have a fast-growing taste for 'Authentic' Bagels and Broadway Bagels offer 4 pre-sliced Bagels that can be toasted from frozen in two great varieties - Poppy and The Works!

The healthy option with less than 2% Fat, no cholesterol, and no additives, Broadway Bagels are simply delicious and such good value at just €3.49 for 4 large Bagels!

The company recently featured on 'The Mentor' television programme on RTE and are being supported by advertising and a national PR campaign. Also, in the New Year, 50% Extra Free promotions packs will be available.