Our Story

We packed our bags. We left Malaysia. We took a leap.

It started with one phone call from our best friend.

"Come to New Zealand. Let's build something together."

No big plan. No guarantees. Just two suitcases, a new zealand dream, and a husband and wife who believed that a brave "yes" can change everything.

So we said yes.

We flew across the ocean to Wellington, a new country, a new home and a brand new start. We didn't know exactly what it would look like. We only knew we wanted to build it together.

And we did.

We built it with flour on our hands and sourdough in our hair. We built it through early mornings, late nights, and more bagel experiments than we can count. We laughed a lot. We argued a little (okay, sometimes a lot). We got frustrated, then figured it out, then laughed about it over a fresh bagel.

Somewhere between the first dough and the hundredth batch, something beautiful happened.

We got to know each other better. We grew stronger together. We became better versions of ourselves.

That's the real recipe behind Bagel Off.

Every bagel is hand rolled. Every bagel is boiled, then baked. Every bagel carries a little piece of our hearts.

We ferment our sourdough for 12 hours because good things take time. We roll each bagel by hand because we care about every single one. And we make them with the same hope that brought us here:

Keep going. Be brave. Good things are coming.

When you bite into a Bagel Off bagel, we hope you taste more than crispy crust and soft, chewy centre. We hope you feel the warmth, the encouragement, and a little reminder that your dreams are worth chasing too.

Your bagel. Your rules.
Our story. Your support. It means the world.

Every order from you isn't just a purchase. It's a small business, a new home, and three dreamers saying thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Thank you for being part of our journey.

Want to see how it all unfolds?
Come follow along behind the scenes: the early mornings, the flour everywhere, the wins, the oops moments, and everything in between.

📲 Find me on TikTok: @gina.at.welly 
My journey, one bagel at a time.

With love (and high protein flour),
Gina, Alex & Jeff
Bagel Off, Johnsonville, Wellington