The FINANCIAL — Artisan bakery chain Entrée, commonly known as a ‘French island of healthy food’ among Georgians, continues to offer and promote fresh and superior quality food to customers with the main goal – to make each of their visits a unique experience.
The company management is now in the process of choosing the next location for an Entrée café in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.
Meanwhile, one of Entrée’s cafés is currently under renovation and will be opening soon. In total there are 10 Entrée cafés operating in Tbilisi.
“Yes, we do plan to expand more in certain districts of Tbilisi and are now in the process of selection. Demand for Entrée’s healthy lifestyle rises day by day, so we have to follow,” Jean Michel Charles, co-founder of Entrée artisan bakery chain, told The FINANCIAL.
“The food market is very dynamic, every day there are new challenges and opportunities. We have learned how to be innovative, flexible and are enjoying our position a lot,” he added.
“What I am very happy about is the significant rise of tourists and interest towards Georgia. As you know, Entrée is not only a beloved place of locals but foreigners as well, which is why Entrée is like an indicator of tourism for us. The year 2016 has started very well and will get better and better according to the amazing events which are scheduled to take place this summer in the whole of Georgia. I love this country. I want the entire world to know about it,” he added.
Last year Entrée was the host of the annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
“Entrée was the only food company to host the summit, offering three pop-up shops on the territory of the former State Parliament. We were exclusively offered to provide food to the biggest business event happening in the country because of our passion, commitment and reputation, in the end of the day it was a great experience,” Charles said.
Q. What international standards have been introduced at Entrée and what innovations do you offer customers?
A. We don’t only say we are an Artisan Bakery Chain, we actually demonstrate it with all our quality standards. Let’s take the bread for example; each morning we bake our bread on sour dough using no yeast or other additives. The flour which we use for baking is imported from an old mill in France. The whole process from mixing the flour to putting the dough in the baker’s busy oven takes 14 hours. Entrée artisanal bread is handmade throughout the day by our bakers using only organic, natural ingredients.
Over the years Entrée has gained a reputation for producing the very finest quality breads, viennoiserie, salads, sandwiches, smoothies, soups and pastries.
Q. You say you created an original image? What is Entrée’s image?
A. It is very simple; we promise and deliver a healthy lifestyle. That is what Entrée is about. This is a place for dynamic, modern people, who value quality, time and innovation.
We offer Italian homemade pizza and pasta; French bread and viennoiserie; a Georgian khachapuri assortment; and a salad range from all over the world. Our experience in food retail helped us to define the very best assortment from different countries and cultures and represent them at Entrée in superior quality.
Q. Who are the cooks at Entrée? Who is responsible for the taste of Entrée?
A. Chief baker of Entrée is Alain Jaunet, a highly qualified pastry chef. From the time he was a young boy he already knew what direction he would go in professionally, due to the fact he comes from a long line of chefs. The tradition of cooking is in his family’s blood. Alain travels a lot and knows his way around many kitchens of the world.
All the outstanding pastries, cakes and cookies you see at Entrée are due to the great skill of Johan, a very talented pastry chef originally from Paris. He is proud winner of third place in world pastry professionals’ competition – Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.
Creating superior quality food demands a specific philosophy, values and principles. It is this very philosophy, values and principles that our team follow and apply each and every day, from day one.
Entrée has built a brand on a unique and solid foundation. That is how we taste.
Q. Entrée can be found in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku as well. How would you summarise Entrée’s activities in Baku?
A. We opened our doors to Baku customers on 29 September, 2014. These cosy premium class cafés gained recognition and shortly became a favourite place of locals and expats.
Today we operate three cafés in Baku and plan to expand more.
I can see perfectly that Azerbaijani customers have the capacity for good taste and high estimations; the local food is so delicious. Now it is our job to bring and integrate the tastiest part of European culture with the local market and establish Entrée as a French island of healthy food in Baku.
From the very first day of Entrée’s existence we assumed it to be an international brand. We are already in two countries and it is not the end, more countries are on the way.
Q. Congratulations on winning the Golden Brand award. In your opinion why did experts name Entrée a favourite brand?
A. We are a team of passionate individuals who share a vision of superior quality bread and artisan methods of preparation. That is why Entrée was once again named the best bakery chain in Georgia. We are an international brand with a good reputation. This success has been driven by the commitment of our team, both in our kitchen and in our cafés.
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