LEADING Scottish bagel brand, Bross has launched a second crowdfunding campaign as it gets ready for further expansion. Founder Larah Bross has set out to raise £150,000 of funds in the next four weeks, which will allow the independent, family-owned brand of delis and bagel shops to continue to grow and fulfil its ambition to expand its ‘holesale’ offering across the UK.
Bross Bagels already raised £125,000 in its first crowdfunding campaign in October 2020, through building a community of bagel fans or ‘Shareholers’. Despite doing so in the middle of the pandemic, the funds raised allowed Bross to defy the odds and officially open the Bross Bakery in Portobello in May 2021 – establishing Edinburgh’s first dedicated bagel bakery and café.
The bakery now handcrafts more than 2,000 bagels a day, delivered to Bross’ four shops in Edinburgh, a new pop-up in Brighton’s Shelter Hall Food Market, as well as a collective of restaurants, cafes and retailers from Tiree and Inverness to as far south as London and Brighton. In order to reach a wider audience, the brand plans to invest in resources that will help to increase production of its hand-crafted, traditional Montreal bagels, as well as its collection of traditional Jewish breads and bakes.
The new campaign will invite Bross’ community of bagel lovers to invest £1,000 each and be part of the brand’s ongoing success story. In return, they will join the growing ‘Bross Shareholer’ community, receiving £100 worth of Bross Bagels vouchers every year for 4 years, and will also have their investment returned in full after 4 years. They will get the chance to join one of the renowned behind the scenes Bross Bakery Tours and witness the magic of Montreal bagel baking as they learn about the traditional hand-craft process, tasting some of Bross’ tempting products along the way. In addition, investors will be sent VIP invites to special events and experiences throughout the year.
The funds raised will be devoted to the growth of the brand’s ‘holesale’ business, allowing Bross’ team of craft bakers to make more bagels daily and deliver them to retailers, restaurants, cafes and homes across the UK, ensuring the legendary bagels continue to be enjoyed across Edinburgh and beyond. The brand will continue to work with and support other local Scottish businesses including local flour brand Carr’s in Fife, who provide the bakery team with almost 500 kilos of flour every week.
Larah Bross explains; “If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the last two years of constant challenges it’s that if we want to continue to fill holes, we have got to be agile, flexible and at times – unconventional. Three words that are also my Tinder profile.
“Our original Shareholers put Bross Bagels on the map by helping us build our bakery – now we have to reach all four corners of it.”
