'The real bread': Saskatoon couple swirls Nigerian flavour into local baking
Ingredients include green tea, chocolate and purple yam
Joe Obirai says bread is food for life.
When he arrived in Saskatoon a little more than two years ago, he used what he knew best to connect with the many faces he came across.
"Saskatoon is a small place. At the same time, a lot of people from different cultures are here." Obirai said. "If you want to appeal to them, it's the food right?"
That's how he and his wife, Blessing, came up with the swirly, colourful and flavourful bread creations behind local company BeeRain.
Nigeria to Saskatoon
Bread has always been a huge part of Obirai's life. He grew up selling it on the streets of Nigeria.
"I was one of those guys who carry bread on his head and hog the streets," Obirai said.
In 2002, he left his home country to pursue a career in the sciences. That took him to South Africa, France and then the U.S. where he worked on a project sponsored by NASA.
Blessing came into the picture in 2015. When she wanted to make a move to pursue her academic goals in Saskatoon, Obirai agreed.
"When Blessing said Saskatoon, I'm like, 'Can you pronounce that word again? Is that a word or a name?' " Obirai said, laughing. "Now, we are here."
'It gives me joy'
Blessing also had a long history with bread.
"I was born in a bakery. My dad was a baker and I grew up inside a bakery. So bread is a big thing for me," she said. "Most of my siblings back home in Nigeria only own bakeries."
When the pair arrived in Saskatoon, they quickly found the local baked goods were nowhere near "the real bread" they were used to indulging in.
"So I said we have to make something," Obirai explained.
With Blessing's experience with baking and Obirai background in chemistry, the two created BeeRain's signature breads, which feature swirls of flavour.
"I think it's a good thing for us to bring what we have back home to Canada here, so people can enjoy," Blessing said. "It gives me joy."
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