Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Perera.
Hi Jeff, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When my wife and I moved to Winter Garden in 2016 we began our search to find a good bagel. This was not only hard to do, but nearly impossible. The closest bagel we found was a 40 minute drive away. This wasn’t going to work for us. After talking to friends and neighbors in our community we found it wasn’t just us who were looking for the chewy deliciousness of an old world, New York style bagel. We decided to take matters into our own hands. Jeff became a student – reading, watching, and listening to anything related to bagels. Then he got baking. He baked a lot of bagels. A lot of bagels! This is when Jeff’s Bagel Run really came to life. Officially founded in August of 2019. We bake small batch, hand-crafted New York style bagels to order. Using the highest quality ingredients and old world technique. We are a true family business. Beyond baking delicious bagels Danielle works full time as a leader in the retail industry, and Jeff is a full time stay-at-home-dad. With support from Jeff’s father and the kids, we make it work to deliver you, the best bagels in Central Florida.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Jeff’s Bagel Run grew out of a deep and true love of bagels. After driving 45 minutes for the goods, Jeff’s wife Danielle challenged Jeff to try and make some. He was recently laid off, she was about to go back to work, and thought a hobby would serve him well as he embarked on his new job as stay-at-home dad. That spark ignited a business and Jeff’s hobby turned into sharing joy with the community in the form of hand-rolled, always boiled, fresh daily, delicious BAGELS! For those of you who know our history, we STRUGGLED to keep up with the demand. We had to move to an online ordering system and even then we sold out in minutes. We started adding pop ups to get more bagels into the community and also added 4 more refrigerators to our house. We’ve been actively searching for a location and have had our eye on a special spot for almost a year. When it came available we were scared. Can we make it work? But like all things we’ve done with this business, we took a leap of faith and signed the lease!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We sell NY style, hand-rolled, boiled, and baked bagels! Starting as a cottage food operation we sell online in our shop, releasing inventory at 7pm on Sunday nights. We are most proud of our community involvement and the community we have built around our brand. You should know that we are opening our first retail location! We are targeting a June opening at 2787 Old Winter Garden in Ocoee!
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Be patient! Measure success based on how YOU feel about what you’re doing not how others perceive you. Social media is work. Full stop. If you have an internet based (IG, FB, website) business, you have to put in the reps to see results.
Contact Info:
- Website: jeffsbagelrun.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/jeffsbagelrun
- Facebook: Facebook.com/jeffsbagelrun
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