New mini croissants hit New York - 3rd March 2023

Since early morning, customers have been standing outside this French bakery in New York. Many are waiting patiently for the new croissant cereal.

Alyssa Ryncarz: "We got here at 5:45 in the morning in our car and the line outside started forming at 6:30 so we've been out here for over an hour."

What's so unusual about these tiny little croissants, that makes people want to queue outside on a dark winter morning? Gautier Coiffard set up the baking business from nothing.

Gautier Coiffard: "So the cereal croissants are basically the same dough that we have for our croissants so it takes two or three days to make the croissant dough. It's rolled out like a classic croissant and then we flatten it very thinly. We roll the mini croissants one by one so, it takes hours. Then we bake them, we add sugar, and then we dehydrate them. So it's about two days on top of a classic croissant."

The bakery's latest product is made fresh daily and requires time and energy as it's all done by hand. Limited quantities mean the costs are high – $50 per packet – but are they worth it?

Kat Sandoval: "The price is a little high but it’s it’s unique, you can't really get it anywhere else, so."

After leaving his home country of France for New York, Coiffard began a new life with his partner. The only thing missing in his life was quality bread. He began baking from home and then, during Covid-19, for friends and relatives as well. After a while, he started selling to others too and 'L'Appartement 4F' bakery was established.

The traditional hand-baked bread and cakes are clear favourites of French and American New Yorkers. However, views differ on the croissant cereal.

Perhaps that's not such a bad thing, in this case. There are plenty of other delicious items worth waiting hours for.

Kabir Zafar: "About an hour and a half we've been waiting here."

Kabir Zafar: "I'm here today because I've heard they have really good croissants."