9 things you didn’t know about Crave Frozen Yogurt
Some of their products are 100% Kosher & Halal.
Crave Frozen Yogurt café revealed the brand’s plans to expand its network this coming 2014.
The brand hopes to reach the total of 33 outlets by the end of 2014.
Below is a Q&A with Aleksandar Svetski, Crave Franchsior.
QSR Media: Tell us about your brand and its heritage?
Svetski: The Crave brand comes from America, but unlike other franchise models which have come from America and brought their system, we chose to adopt a license model allowing us to change & mould the overall business style, model, product, look & feel of Crave in Australia.
We chose to position ourselves as the PREMIUM brand of yogurt in Australia and you can see this from the caliber of our designs & stores straight through to the quality of product which is second to none
QSR Media: What sets you apart in the frozen yogurt space?
Svetski: Design, Feel, Vibe & Product.
The new age of food retail is about the customer experience - how can you create an environment that the customer will want to return to again & again?
We set the mood with out design, lighting, temperature & music.
We then hire staff with amazing personalities who can engage & educate the customer.
We close the deal with the most Premium Yogurt available, direct from Italy from grass fed cows with no artificial flavours, colour or preservatives and 100% Gluten & Gelatin Free.
To top it off, our product is one of the only products in the world to also qualify as 100% Kosher & Halal - some of the most stringent certifications to achieve.
Last but not least, we are also Self Service - meaning the customer has the power to choose what they want, how much they want and they only pay for the weight of the cup.
QSR Media: How do you differ to your US parent?
Svetski: Aside from the comments in Point 1 above, we've managed to grow to 13 stores in under 4 months which exceeds the number of stores the US has set up in almost 5yrs!
The US is positioned as more of a budget brand with lots of flavours.
We share the lots of flavours with them, we use their machinery which allows us to pack more flavours into a smaller footprint, BUT we are THE Premium Brand in Australia.
We don't take any shortcuts, our design is un matched and our product consistently surprises people
QSR Media: What's your goals for 2014?
Svetski: Growth + Refinement.
A lot of inexperienced operators that have jumped on the yogurt band wagon will suffer in 2014 as the market becomes saturated.
Those with great business models and great locations will do very well, whilst the former others will not.
So for us, we'll be spending time refining the operational models & helping our franchisees sharpen their businesses, lower their bottom lines and really set systems in place.
Simultaneously, we will continue growing the number of outlets with 8 sites already locked in and an aim for another 12 to take us to a total of 33 by end of fiscal 2014.
QSR Media: What's your plan for marketing the brand in Australia?
Svetski: At this stage the iconic locations, the product and the vibe of the place is more than enough to spread the word. Some locations may need extra marketing to get people to know who we are & what we're about, but we believe that if you are unique and can back your business with a premium product + style & service, you don't need to market - word spreads!
QSR Media: Franchisee recruitment, what's happening here?
Svetski: At this stage we've stopped actively searching for new franchisees, because our organic enquiry level has gone through the roof. We now have dedicated staff that attend to new enquiries, but we're now at the stage where we spend more time "qualifying" than we do merely "advertising" for new franchisees.
QSR Media: Your website talks about low royalty fees, saving $150K on set up costs, and the ultra low operational model, can you give us more specifics?
Svetski: This is outdated...new website coming very shortly...
BUT what I can confirm is this:
1) We're a turn key investment - so NO variations. We do everything for the franchisee including training. They walk into a brand new store, ready to run it!
2) Our royalty is only 6% - so 2% lower than most other competitors.
3) Our model is a low cost operational model - it's Self Service - so it saves on staff costs - we can serve up to 5 times faster than a standard frozen yogurt
QSR Media: Tell us a bit about the culture you are trying to build at Crave Australia?
Svetski: The culture at Crave is about being Young, Vibrant, Powerful, Alternative, Conscious, Healthy and NEW. From Product, right through to staff, design & even management.
Our HQ office is based in Potts Point - with 6 core staff that work crazy long hours but LOVE what they do.
All of us are under the age of 30 & one of us is 34 (who looks 23) !!
Our small team has done what other teams with 20 people would normally do.
I spent a lot of time in Silicon Valley and the Google & Apple Campuses were my inspirations.
This is the culture I aim to continue in this company - the start-up culture - we're building something amazing here and nothing is going to stop us.
QSR Media: The frozen yogurt space in Australia is an area of massive growth, what are your plans to make sure it is sustainable long term and not just a passing "fad" in the industry?
Svetski: As with every industry, trends explode, they then consolidate and a few players emerge as the brands people recognise & identify with.
We plan to be here for a long time to come, but during the lifespan we must also evolve and adapt.
So to answer your questions, this will be a fad for some, but for Crave and perhaps a few others, it will be a long term gig - it's the same in the US which has experience consecutive growth in the Frozen Yogurt industry for 12yrs now.
