Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Nathan
Hi mark, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
In 1999, a small bakery opened in the small town of Osaka, Japan. People in the town couldn’t resist the aroma from the bakery, or the kind face of the owner, Yuji Hirota. His fluffy white beard was so renowned that he became known as “Beard Papa” to all of his regular customers.
Groups of children would always ask Yuji when he was going to make another kind of delicious treat. Beard Papa wanted every new customer to feel like they were sitting with him in Osaka in his bakery. He decided to make a pastry as fluffy and lovable as his beard, and cream puffs were just the treat. People loved his new treat so much that he had to open another store to accommodate all of his new friends. He never stopped, and now there are over 500 Beard Papa’s worldwide that have some of the best cream puffs ever made.
He perfected the art of his pastries by making a double-layered puff–choux on the inside, and pie crust on the outside. Then, he proceeded to make the perfect filling, made with a mixture of whipped and vanilla bean custard cream.
Beard Papa’s stores still use the recipe to this day, along with a variety of new recipes that are bound to satisfy any palette. Whether you are in Japan, Singapore, Australia, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Canada, or America you will always be able to find your own Beard Papa’s.
Beard Papa’s USA started in 2014 with the first store in Gardena and has expanded to 42 stores with 8 in the LA basin.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Its been a great journey since 2014! We have a cult following that is generational and keeps our local stores busy. In the beginning, we were not well known and relied on the Japanese – American community to get our business going.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We are the Worlds Best Cream Puff and are know for our fresh and natural puffs. Baked daily at each store we create our own flavors and use only the freshest ingredients. All of our custard fills are made on site and include Black Diamond vanilla beans, real green tea matcha fill and real chocolate.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
We are a worldwide company with over 550 stores in 15 countries. Our cream puff shell is a unique blend of Choux pastry and pie crust for that crispy crunchy texture. Pair that with our not-too-sweet filling and you have an exceptional dessert treat!
Pricing:
- Original Vanilla Puff $4
- Green Tea (matcha puff) $5
- Chocolate Cream Puff $5.5o
- Oreo™ Cookie Crumble Puff $5.50
- Mini Puffs: .90 (varies by store)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beardpapas.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/beardpapas
- Twitter: https://x.com/beardpapasusa
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5fScH0Spj0d1DTnur7urFg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@beardpapasofficial
