Queensland-based coffee franchise, Zarraffa’s Coffee, has purchased the West Australian specialty coffee chain, One for the Road, and its five drive-through sites.

Zarraffa’s CEO Kenton Campbell said the purchase process has been smooth and completely amicable, and he plans to continue operating the sites as One for the Road before rebranding, thus making the transition for customers and staff as easy as possible.

The entry into Western Australia is a significant one for Zarraffa’s, which has 52 traditional and drive-through stores on the east coast, and will see the five new sites – Currambine, Ellenbrook, Peppermint Grove, Canning Vale and Kalgoorlie – run as corporate stores at the outset.

“Eventually we will seek out franchisees for the sites but our commitment is to understand the market, transition our products and services to the stores and deliver exceptional, convenient coffee to each locale,” said Campbell.

We will work side by side with the One for the Road team from early-August learning from each of the businesses and familiarising ourselves with the local market. Later in the year we will look to transition the stores to our branding and operation.”

Perth–based property developer Scott Paterson, who launched One for the Road in 2006, said that while it will be sad to move on he knows Campbell and his team are the right fit.

“I had made several trips to Queensland over the past three years and was familiar with the Zarraffa’s operation and coffee. I always saw the brands as very similar with many other synergies in terms of product and service.

“When I walked in to one of the Gold Coast Zarraffa’s Coffee stores you could feel the pride that the franchise owners and staff had in their product, which was impressive. One for the Road was at a stage where it needed massive footprints and a level of drive and experience that I had identified in Zarraffa’s,” he said.

Over the next 12 months, the brand has plans for eight additional stores in Queensland, as well as entry into the new territories of Sydney, Townsville and regional Queensland.

Campbell said, “We have been building up to readiness for interstate expansion for a number of years, ensuring our existing franchisees are supported, while growing our business in a measured and responsible way. We are not interested in opening hundreds of stores if they can’t all be sustainable and serve exceptional coffee.”