Prime pretzels baking as Auntie Anne’s opens in heart of Yangon

04 March 2019
Prime pretzels baking as Auntie Anne’s opens in heart of Yangon
Photo: Yoma Strategic Holdings Ltd

Auntie Anne’s, the world’s largest hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise, officially launches in Myanmar today.

Myanmar’s first Auntie Anne’s is located on the fourth floor of Junction City at the corner of Bogyoke Aung San Road & Shwedagaon Pagoda Road in the heart of Downtown Yangon.

Yoma Strategic Holdings Ltd. is the master franchise partner for Auntie Anne’s™ in Myanmar.

Auntie Anne’s is an iconic global brand best known for producing handmade sweet and savoury baked goods from scratch in open kitchens. Originating in Pennsylvania, USA, the brand recently celebrated 30 years of operations and currently has more than 1,800 outlets in almost 30 countries. With its commitment to freshly baked snacks, Auntie Anne’s has established a strong presence in Asia, gaining popularity in markets such as Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China and South Korea.

Mr. Melvyn Pun, CEO, Yoma Strategic stated, “I am excited to announce that from the 2nd of March Auntie Anne’s will be mixing, twisting and baking pretzels to golden brown perfection right here in Myanmar. We are thrilled to further enrich the local foodscape with the addition of this iconic international brand, allowing Myanmar’s many snack fans to join the thousands around the world already enjoying Auntie Anne’s sweet and savoury baked goods every day.”

Alongside Auntie Anne’s famous freshly baked and hand-rolled Original, Almond Crunch, Cinnamon Sugar and Garlic pretzels the menu will include other international favourites such as Pretzel Dogs, Freshly Squeezed Lemonade and Milkshakes. Pretzels start at MMK1,500 and Pretzel and Lemonade combos are available from MMK3,000. To celebrate the launch of Auntie Anne’s in Myanmar customers will enjoy “Buy One, Get One” on Almond Crunch pretzels until Saturday 16 March.

“Auntie” Anne Beiler started baking pretzels at a Pennsylvania farmer's market to help fund her husband’s desire to provide free family counselling services for their community. After some experimentation, "Auntie" Anne created a masterpiece, the same freshly baked goodness which is loved the world over today. In what she called “a twist of fate” Auntie Anne found her true calling as an unlikely entrepreneur, taking her business from a single farmer’s market stand to the world’s largest soft pretzel franchise.

“We decided to bring Auntie Anne’s to Myanmar after conducting an in-depth study into the dining preferences of consumers in the country. As well as offering consumers an exciting new twist in the growing baked goods category, Auntie Anne’s also complements our existing F&B portfolio which includes 37 YKKO restaurants, 33 KFC stores and Little Sheep Hot Pot which will launch in the coming weeks,” added Pun.

With the creation of a nationwide multi-brand portfolio which includes Auntie Anne’s™, YKKO, KFC and Little Sheep Hot Pot, Yoma F&B is targeting the shifting consumption patterns and the rising discretionary disposable income of Myanmar consumers. Yoma F&B aims to have more than six international and local restaurant brands and 125+ locations by FY2023.

A ribbon-cutting event will take place at Junction City today to mark the launch of Auntie Anne’s in Myanmar. There will also be various sampling and promotional activities for the public to enjoy at Junction City between Saturday 02 and Monday 04 March.