New Zealand bagel maker Abe's is launching its fresh Chicago-style bagel range into Australia this week exclusively through Woolworths.
The company, which began making and selling fresh bagels to New Zealand retailers 20 years ago, is now the number one bagel brand there. Until now, however, only its Bagel Crisps range has been sold in Australia.
Abe's bagels are made out of Australian wheat flour and are baked in its Auckland, New Zealand facility in small batches using artisan proofing and steam baking techniques, according to Abe's marketing manager, Melanie Kyle.
New York-style bagels are boiled in water before they are baked, while Chicago-style bagels are not boiled but instead baked in a steam oven, which gives them a chewy, dense texture.
Sixteen per cent of New Zealand households eat bagels compared to only four per cent in Australia, according to Kyle. “We thought we needed to do something about that,” she said.
According to Kyle, many Australian bagels are more like bread rolls, rather than the chewy, dense bagel made by Abe's. Also, she said, many consumers are not aware that bagels taste best toasted.
The company's founders learned how to make their bagels in the US and then opened a cafe, but demand for their products grew, so they closed the cafe and concentrated on bagel making and selling them to supermarkets.
Although they no longer own the company, the batch-made methods remain the same, Kyle said.
“There's a real movement among foodies for good bagels and more and more cafes are offering them."
The types of toppings are evolving beyond the cream cheese and salmon classic, according to Kyle, and Abe's offers suggestions on the pack to help the movement along.
Abe's fresh bagel range comes in packs of four in the specialty breads section and the flavours include The Natural, Super Sesame Seed, and Magnificent Multigrain.
