Beard Papa's launches new yummy treats
One of Beard Papa's new addition to their menu, the durian-flavoured puff. Picture: Courtesy of Beard Papa's.
By DEBBIE TOO
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - BEARD Papa's Brunei officially launched two additional products to their menu over the weekend, the durian puff and the coronet.
"We wanted to introduce something that would be popular with the local taste buds, and durian was one of them," said Tan Kheng Tong, operations manager of Beard Papa's Brunei franchise holder, White Tangerine.
He added that with "healthy eating" being a part of the company's mission statement, the latest addition to the menu uses fresh local durian called 'D24'.
"Just like the other fillings for the puffs, the cream is made with fresh durian with no artificial additives, preservatives or flavouring," said Tan, who added that the cream, eggs and vanilla beans used are all fresh and made the night before opening day.
Since its launch over the long weekend, the first day saw a total of 200 durian puffs being sold, with similar performance from the coronets.
The coronet is slightly different from the fluffy puffs, as it has a flakier texture similar to that of a croissant, and customers can choose between three fillings: vanilla, chocolate or durian.
"Since our opening, we had customers asking us about both the coronet and the durian puffs, and we thought launching both of them at the same time would make our customers happy," he said.
The durian puffs are priced at $2.90 per puff, and are slightly more expensive than the other puffs. However, Tan attributes this to the cost of the fresh durians.
"We use local durians to give a stronger flavour that customers would be willing to pay for, and we believe that by using local durians, although more expensive than Thai durians, it would be better value for customers," said Tan.
When asked about future plans for the franchise, Tan said that they have made plans until 2013, and customers can anticipate another product launch "within the next six months".
"We will be adding more products to the range on the menu that we currently have, which would add more dimension to what customers want," said Tan.
He continued by saying that it is important to know the local tastes and seasons for the fresh fruits, and he hopes the durian puff will be the first step towards increasing their customer base, especially for the older generation.
In a previous interview, Tan was asked whether a second outlet will be opening soon, and he replied by saying that it depends on the success of the first branch.
Furthermore, he mentioned that White Tangerine is also considering the Airport Mall and Times Square in mind for the future.
Being the franchise holder for East Malaysia, Tan said White Tangerine is also eyeing Miri and Sabah.
"Kota Kinabalu especially, as they have a booming tourism industry. For us, heading into Malaysia is all about timing," he said.
"For now, our focus is on ensuring that Brunei is operational".
-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times
