Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Humel.
joey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I made my 1st bagels on January 1st 2009. I was a broke musician in between jobs and gigs, so eating cheap was a necessity.
growing up in NYC bagels and pizza were a cheap way to survive, so I wanted to adopt that concept to my living. At that time, there just wasn’t a NY style bagel available in austin. all the bagels were the same, no matter the coffee shop or grocery store. they were lacking everything that I knew to be a real bagel. so I decided to try my hand in making my own. it was a really rough start, there wasn’t too much on the internet at that time, although my 1st batch was ok (better than what was available), it still wasn’t a NY style bagel. My friends were into it though, they were willing to pay me for bagels, so the journey began.
I was obsessed with trying to get them right, I was researching at least 8 hours a day and making batch after batch, with lots of fails. working constantly for few weeks, when I decided to start a company. it was quite foolish looking back, considering I had no money and still didnt have the product I wanted and knew nothing of business, regardless, I just went for it. officially got incorporated January 26 or so, so in less than I month I had started this company out of my house. I borrowed a few thousand dollars and rented a commercial kitchen and made sure I got all the paperwork needed to run a wholesale food business, picked up my 1st client in february. I was delivering 6 bagels a day, 7 days a week for $6 a day, then I got 2 more clients by the end of february. I was making only about $18-$24 a day and already working about 16 hours a day, I was researching and experimenting all the time, non stop. the company started to grow and grew fast. I was a local musician and had been for years, so I knew lots of people, and the support was amazing! by may I had my 1st write up and by sept I was forced to expand because the response was so great. I was working non stop for years, it wasn’t about money, cause there really wasn’t much, it was just about getting it to my satisfaction, and learning how to build, shape and create a company. I had no experience so I had to rely solely on logic and common sense. fast forward 16.5 years later, we average about 14,000 bagels a week, with nearly 100 wholesale clients and a retail walk up window for fresh sandwiches. the bagels are made from scratch every single day, after mixing, the raw dough is shaped, cold, long fermentation (24-48hrs), boiled, then baked.
its been a wild journey that nearly took everything from me many times , but so glad I took that chance and saw it through. I have been able to provide jobs for so many people in their time of need over the years, and made really great connections. most of all im proud to be part of the Austin community and be able to give back to a place that gave so much to me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
it was always and still is a hard road. the bagel/bread business is a penny business. our raw products get raised on average 3 times a year, rents are so expensive, equipment is crazy expensive and breaks all the time, new or used. the cost of running a small business is insane. most people have no idea unless you own one.
there is only so much you can charge for a bagel, I think of a lot people expect prices from the 80’s. making bagels is super labor intensive.
I was fortunate enough to start this business as the right time, but it is still really hard to keep up with the times, wether it be wondering if your lease will get renewed when its up, how much is the cost of eggs going to ruin you this month, or turn over in staff and not having the people you need to make the best product possible. there is always an obstacle that needs to be dealt with. its extremely rare that you have a few weeks without an incident where things are easy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
before I was the bagel maker, I was a professional drummer, played a lot locally and toured for a few years, playing 13 countries. music is still my life and passion, I actually started my business with the idea that eventually it would be passive income so I can just focus on on music without the pressure of having to live off of it.
I did make a shift within music, im now an electronic music producer, it takes away the pressures of finding a steady group of people to rely on, although I miss that, I love being able to make music constantly all the time, and the only one to hold me back is myself.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
man, I love everything about austin! I always have, I left for a couple of years to tour europe, went back to NYC for a stint, but knew I had to find a way back to austin. its my favorite city in the US. I guess what I love most about it, is the lifestyle. I always dreamt of having the life that I do now, the freedom and variety. I made that happen in this city and will forever hold that close to my heart. the nature, the music, the vibes, it’s just the best.
Pricing:
- sandwiches are $7-$15 (dependent of what you order)
- bagel and spread $5
- individual bagels $2.25 (depending on what kind)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rockstarbagels.com/about
- Instagram: @rockstarbagels
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rockstarbagels/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thekillromeos
