Seattle's Best Coffee Expands Franchising Program in U.S.

Brand Positioned to Grow Utilizing its Signature Smooth Coffee Flavor Profile, Strong Brand Awareness, National Footprint and Innovative Retail Cafe Concepts

Feb 3, 2009 - 09:50
Seattle's Best Coffee today announced it will expand its franchising program to offer cafe opportunities in the U.S. This strategic decision to build Seattle's Best Coffee through franchising allows its parent, Starbucks Corporation (Nasdaq:SBUX), to utilize a multi-brand strategy that leverages both the Starbucks and Seattle's Best Coffee brands to capture more of the growing specialty coffee segment, ultimately providing options and variety in the marketplace.

This decision comes after nearly four years of successful development of the Seattle's Best Coffee brand, through a national licensing program, to more than 550 cafes across the U.S. Seattle's Best Coffee is an accessible entry point to specialty coffee for many customers with its smooth, well-rounded coffee flavor profile. The brand offers milder coffee blends and flavored coffees, as well as a diverse product portfolio, including cold-brewed iced and blended coffee beverages, tea and other non-coffee beverages, and warmed sandwiches and food items.
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'The world of premium coffee has expanded, and customers now expect a great cup of coffee wherever they are,' said Tom Ehlers, vice president and general manager, Seattle's Best Coffee. 'We're excited that by offering a comprehensive franchise program we're able to grow the Seattle's Best Coffee brand, allowing us to fulfill the needs of more specialty coffee customers."

Seattle's Best Coffee offers potential franchisees an innovative set of retail cafe concepts ranging from small space solutions to street-side coffeehouses. This includes customized cafes that are designed specifically for each location and cafe footprint, allowing a qualified franchisee to develop a market based on the opportunity available. Additionally, the brand offers franchisees a program with complete training and operations experts for initial cafe set-up, as well as ongoing development and operations support.

'Quality and a strong brand are important to any franchise operation and Seattle's Best Coffee offers both with the right operational support and approachable brand,' said Wassim Hojeij, Atlanta-based Seattle's Best Coffee franchisee since 1999, currently with six cafes. 'It is a simple and straightforward operation and now is the time for Seattle's Best Coffee to grow.'

Seattle's Best Coffee is offering franchises to qualified and select applicants, using a pre-defined set of criteria and focusing on multi-unit franchisees with a proven track record of success. Expansion of the franchise program in the U.S. will have an initial focus on Western states and Texas, however, inquiries from other regions nationwide will be considered. As part of broader cafe development rights, Seattle's Best Coffee has access to real estate in certain markets that may provide an attractive opportunity to qualified franchisees. Interested franchisees can visit www.seattlesbest.com for more information and application forms.