40 Canadian Franchise Association http://www.cfa.ca | http://www.LookforaFranchise.ca
Mangoland
“All of us are very passionate about fresh fruits, espe-
cially mangos!!” says Don Shah, Marketing & Logistics
for Mangoland, which started as a food truck business in
Calgary, Alberta in 2014.
Mangoland set up its first corporate store in the
CrossIron Mills shopping centre in 2015, and has been
gradually and steadily growing its franchise locations in
Calgary and Edmonton since 2016, now with four loca-
tions in total. Now the brand has plans to expand beyond
Alberta, into major cities across Canada. “We have had
inquiries from Toronto and Vancouver,” says Harry
Desai, New Franchisee/Area Development & Product
Development. In preparation for that growth, Mangoland
has established a reliable supply source that is set up for
national distribution.
The biggest challenge in running a healthy food fran-
chise is that the cost of the food – particularly fresh fruit- can be very high, says Shah. “It is challenging to be
cost competitive, but bulk purchasing power helps. We
think our customers appreciate that we use fresh, not
frozen, ingredients in everything, even our smoothies.
They can see it being prepared right in front of them. We
recently added ‘green garden’ – a magical combination of
fresh vegetables and fruits – in our product line, and we
keep improving.”
With bulk purchasing, low overhead (a Mangoland can
operate in as little as 150 square feet), and an accessible
investment requirement ($135,000 to $180,000, including
franchise fee plus access to $15,000 to $35,000 in working
capital), this is a viable franchise for an owner-operator
to run on their own, initially with only one part-time
employee. “This is an easy-to-operate business that
requires no cooking on location,” says Shah. “Most of our
locations will be in food courts or strip malls.”
Before opening, franchisees receive two weeks of
training that focuses on managing operations, finances,
and human resources. After opening, they receive side-
by-side training and support in their store. “We are look-
ing for franchise partners who want to grow along with
the company, with potential to own multiple locations.
Food industry and management experience would be
helpful, but is not required,” says Desai.
MANGOLAND STATS
Franchise units in Canada: 2
Corporate units in Canada: 2
Franchise fee: $18K
Investment required: $135K-$180K
Start-up capital required: $15K-$35K
Tr aining: 2 weeks
In business since: 2015
Franchising since: 2016
CFA member since: 2016FRESH FLAVOURS