Believe NJ Bakery Is Baking A Social Cause

Located at a little corner just outside of Novena MRT (basement of Square 2 Mall), lies a modest bakery with a big story to tell. I had the opportunity to interview Ms Jenny, one of the co-founders of Believe NJ Bakery to find out more about their operations and business concept.

Founded in 2008, Believe NJ is a social enterprise that supports the intellectually challenged youths for a social cause. When I enquired the inspiration behind the name ‘Believe NJ’, Ms Jenny was very eager to share that it came from the youths themselves. It was through their training sessions that they started echoing the phrase ‘I believe Nicole and Jenny’ as a confidence boost while undertaking any task. Slowly but surely, it became a catchphrase and they subsequently adopted the name ‘Believe NJ’ to their bakery.

Believe NJ muffins

The bakery sells a mixture of sweet and savoury muffins, dubbing the Cheesy Egg Muffin as their best-selling item. Ms Jenny was very generous to offer me portions of the muffin to try and patiently explained her inspiration behind its recipe. She understands that youths are into fusion food, while the older generation are less adventurous. Cheesy Egg Muffin is created for those who crave something unconventional, while appealing to the non-cheese lovers with its very mild cheese taste. This combination truly paid off with its moist and flavourful taste (its almost like a pizza bread) to its smooth texture.

Believe NJ muffins

Believe NJ menu (as at July 2014)

All muffins are hand-made with their own recipes. For those with a sweet tooth, do try their interesting combination of Cranberry Yogurt, Black and White and Green Tea Chocolate Chip flavours too. All muffins are also baked with low sugar and less oil, a healthier choice indeed! I even bought home a box of 4, and surprisingly the texture were still soft and moist when I shared them with my family.

Believe NJ Bakery has come a long way since its early days in 2008. Ms Jenny feels that seeing the progressive nurturing of these youths is what makes the whole experience worthwhile. She stresses the importance of giving everyone an opportunity to try their hand on baking, and hope to spur the concept of social enterprise to young budding entrepreneurs. In fact, they are ready to franchise their bakery concept to any investor with a heart for social cause.

Through my time with them, the sense of dedication and pride shown in their operations were very apparent. Believe NJ Bakery is never really about selling just muffins to the public, but rather a social enterprise haven that markets the intangible beliefs of hope and confidence to these youths for a higher cause.

Website: http://www.believe-nj.com