Business Franchise Australia and New Zealand 27crema espresso is a
franchise that is continually
evolving. Already well known
for their food and premium
coffee, crema stores are
beginning to make waves
in the retail community with
their store designs.
Each franchised store has their own unique
identity avoiding the dreaded ‘cookie
cutter’ appearance that unfortunately many
consumers and even potential franchisees
associate with a coffee chain. This has been
a deliberate move by Managing Director
Antony Forbutt, “We wanted our store designs
to be a point of difference from our peers
and competitors. We wanted a freshness and
brightness to the designs that exude a laidback
cool.”
This has not gone unnoticed by leasing
agents for some of the major shopping
centres with Crema Espresso being offered
premium locations for its new stores. The
proud Queensland brand has grown to 18
stores with several scheduled to open later this
year. Whilst this is a steady growth, Crema
Espresso is not prepared to jeopardise the
quality of its brand or its relationship with
its franchisees, “We do not want to open 100
stores; we would rather open 50 exclusive
outlets where our franchisees are recording
strong revenues and profits. Unlike some other
systems, we want franchisee business partners,
not hostages,” said Mr Forbutt.
When recruiting new franchisees, Crema
is always looking for community minded
people. The business believes that this
mind set and attitude brings a warmth and
connection to customers that is invaluable.
This is something that is also practiced at
a brand level with ongoing support of the
charity MND foundation, raising money to
find a cure for the devastating Motor Neurone
Disease. This year Crema has also joined
forces with the children’s charity 4 ASD Kids,
founded by ex-NRL star Mat Rogers and wife
Chloe Maxwell. Already this year Crema
sponsored the Brisbane to Byron bike ride that
was held to raise money for both charities.
‘Crema Friends’, the brand’s training
program, uses this philanthropic ideology
to underpin its approach to connecting to
the local community. The training program
follows a simple premise: treat the people
in store like you would treat your friends.
The Crema Friends system has three levels.
‘Friends’ are the people in the business,
‘Neighbours’ are the other people and
businesses in the shopping centre and then
the wider ‘Community’. “The people who visit
our stores are our friends. We don’t like using“We wanted our store designs to be a point of difference
from our peers and competitors. We wanted a freshness
and brightness to the designs that exude a laidback cool.”