Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyon147
Hi guys and girls
I live in the UK and I am new to this forum.
I've learned Japanese martial arts for 10+ years and also got taught how to cook different Japanese foods, breads and sweats from my sensei over in Japan.
There is not really any places in the UK that sell Japanese bakery foods, I have been thinking for sometime to open a japanese bakery which also sells online.
Only question I have been thinking is will people want to buy. This is where all you amazing people come in and tell me your thoughts.
Thanks,
Ky
|
I think the others have it pretty correct in that this is going to be a niche market. There's a mini japanese bakery at the Japan Centre in London which does a lot of the staple things and obviously does quite well, but I can only really see this working in larger areas or as others have said, where there's a good proportion of asian people, or a foodie culture. In my experience, about half of the people I know in the UK who've tried it hated an. Also you need to consider costs. Japanese ingredients aren't always cheap or easy to procure so your buns and sandwiches might wind up pricier than people are willing to pay if you're making small scale. If you're thinking of Wagashi, then those tend to be really expensive, especially for the rice flour.
What you could do is compromise. I really like things that the Japanese have adapted from french bakery goods- the walnut bread buns half mixed with mochi flour so that they're chewy. Or if you're doing Japanese style sandwiches, do it with proper bread because (And I love Japanese food) but sandwiches here suck.
Maybe for a test run, try doing a stall at a farmer's market. I think that's probably your best bet, and stick to what's likely to not be too 'foreign'- slightly Japanese twists on traditional bakery goods, melon-pan, green tea cookies and things like that, and do your market research. Taiyaki or dorayaki are usually a little bit more friendly to people who've never encountered Asian sweets.