Mrs. Fields Australia bags International Master Franchisee of the Year
Andrew and Debbie Benefield, operator of Mrs. Fields Australia, have been awarded at the Mrs. Fields Brands Convention in Las Vegas.
According to Mrs. Fields Australia, the Benefields were present to accept the award and were selected from 23 Mrs. Fields Famous Brands Master Franchisees outside of the United States across Mrs. Fields Famous Brands’ two brands- This Country’s Best Yoghurt (TCYB) and Mrs. Fields.
Other award nominees came from all over the world including Canada, Costa Rica, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Philippines.
Tim Casey, President and CEO of Mrs. Fields Famous Brands told the Benefields that “This honour reflects your commitment, your enthusiasm and your belief in the enduring success of Mrs. Fields Cookies.”
“It is good for the whole team and recognition of our collective effort. I couldn’t be happier with the result,” Mr Benefield said.
“It is a massive achievement as the last time this honour was awarded in 2007 we were really just starting out as the Master Franchisee in Australia. It was great to have a mixed team there to share the accolades; we had members of the support team, our coffee roaster Daily Roast there as well as two of our franchisees. ”
The award is based on three main criteria including Growth, Operational Excellence and Representation of the Brand.
Mr Benefield said that it was “good to get recognition for the Australian franchise operation – I have always been a believer that the Australian franchise sector operates in one of the most competitive markets in the world, and this ensures the systems here have world class operations.”
The award accompanies the announcement that Mrs. Fields Australia has been selected to export their local coffee blend to the global brand’s franchises around the world including China, Pakistan, and potentially South Korea, Russia and Vietnam. Its coffee blend was developed in conjunction with Victorian coffee roasters Daily Roast Coffee.
Their first shipment of 100Kg to Pakistan was dispatched in early March, with a similar volume to China to be sent imminently.
