“We’re excited to be your friendly neighbourhood donut shop in April 2015. We’ll be serving handmade donuts fresh every day, along with quality espresso drinks. Bronuts will have friendly service and lots of seating so that you can feel free to make yourself right at home.”
With the opening of a local donut shop less than six weeks ago, owners Brett and Dylan Zahari can already feel the love and support from Winnipeg. With over 9k followers on Instragram and donut supplies selling out almost every day, these two young brothers are “blown away…by how stellar [their] customers are.” After only a few days of selling donuts and gourmet coffee, Brett and Dylan have announced that they are “already growing [their] staff and kitchen equipment.”
These two young entrepreneurs were leading successful career paths when they discovered a hole in Winnipeg’s food offerings. Winnipeg’s foodie community is large and growing, so the introduction of a gourmet donut shop seemed like the perfect fit.
I met Dylan, Brett, and Brett’s wife Meagan in August 2014 when the two brothers were introduced to me by Joelle Foster from Futurpreneur Manitoba. Futurpreneur is a non-profit organization that “provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39.” Futurpreneur has had an instrumental role in much of the new small business growth we are witnessing in Winnipeg today (http://www.futurpreneur.ca/en/).
In October, after some fairly intense negotiations, Brett and Dylan’s Offer to Lease was accepted for 100 King Street and Bannatyne. A location suited perfectly for a young a thriving business – situated in the heart of the exchange, on the way to work for those working downtown, and large enough to hold many seats.
Balancing their new business alongside the birth of Brett and Meagan’s new baby, Emelyn, these two brothers have proven they are hard working and driven. With such a strong start, it is undeniable that their success will only increase moving forward.
Stephanie White Willitts
Commercial Real Estate