What are the essentials of the Soul Origin business? National franchise development manager, Andrew Benefield, answers the Franchise Business Q&A.
How long has the business been trading, and how long franchising?
Soul Origin piloted during the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and began franchising three years later.
What does it cost to buy a franchise?
This is a turnkey model, starting at $400,000 plus GST.
What are the core areas of your company’s business?
We have a passion for great coffee and food; fresh salads, baguettes, paninis and soup for winter. We love making it, serving it, talking about it and hearing our customers talk about it.
Who is a typical customer?
Anyone who loves fresh food and great coffee. Soul Origin has a broad appeal, with adults enjoying the coffee and our growing range of chilled drinks attracting the younger generations.
What makes your brand stand out from the competition?
Everything we make daily is either sold or discarded so you know it is fresh. We deliberately shine the light on our long display cases of freshly made products that are ready to serve, speeding up service for busy people on the go.
Why is this a good business for a franchisee to buy into?
We are the family that you choose. Despite growing to over 175 locations we are still a family-owned and run business with a strong connection to our business partners. Culture is the soul of the brand. A culture that brings people together and represents the origin of fresh authentic food and coffee flavours from around the world.
Which element of franchisee support is the most well received?
Our franchise partners are not only supported by their area coach to help work on their businesses, there are also specialist coaches for coffee or food products to work in the business, with partners, on specific issues that may be holding them back.
How many hours a week does a franchisee typically work?
Typically 38 to 40 hours per week; our most successful partners share that the key to success is being in the business.
What drives your growth strategy?
We are always looking for high traffic locations with good traffic flow from early morning through to after lunch. This has traditionally seen us located in busy shopping centres; however we will be patient and wait for the best locations in a centre. While there are no guarantees of success, location is still one of the most important factors.
What are your expansion plans for the next five years?
We are looking to grow by 20 stores per year providing we can find the right locations. Last year we opened our first service centre locations with Ampol on the Sydney M4 freeway and a drive-thru location in Epping, Victoria. This year we will open more of both and see these types of locations, along with an increased presence in regional towns, as the way forward.
What is one exciting innovation/ development you have planned?
Expanding into drive-thru and service centres has challenged us to innovate the menu and add items suitable for dinner and longer trading. Stay tuned for what those items are.