Freshberry (USA) Opens in Middle East
14 Jan 2010 - Beautiful Brands International (BBI) announced today the opening of its first four locations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.The openings are a result of an agreement between BBI and Saudi-based United Food Company to market and franchise the frozen yogurt concept throughout the Middle East.
"We're thrilled to join with United Food Company in bringing the incredible taste of FreshBerry to the Middle East," said David Rutkauskas, Beautiful Brands Founder, President and CEO. "Our growth in this region means we're excelling at forging new frontiers in the frozen yogurt industry and growing our FreshBerry footprint based on wide consumer appeal. We look forward to providing the FreshBerry taste to whole new regions of frozen yogurt lovers in the Middle East and beyond."
According to BBI and United Food Company officials, there are now four outlets open in Riyadh in some of the most popular business districts in the city: Tahliah Street, Riyadh Gallery, Granada Mall, and one unit in Dhahran Mall in the Eastern Province. The openings are part of a 120-unit deal between BBI and United Food Company to extend the brand's reach into the Middle East and North Africa. The two companies anticipate the opening of 15 more units during the first quarter of 2010.
"We're very proud of our joint venture with BBI," said Raj Shah of United Food Company. "I believe our ability to offer any outlet type to franchisees from free-standing to profitable mall kiosks is a huge selling point to many area developers. Putting FreshBerry in places where there's high foot traffic increases brand recognition and, of course, allows consumers to more easily discover the quality taste of FreshBerry frozen yogurt."
The FreshBerry concept was created by Rutkauskas and his wife Camille. The first FreshBerry café opened in January 2008 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Today there are 13 FreshBerry Frozen Yogurt Cafés open and over 455 units in development across Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Northern California, Southern California, Arizona, New York, Nevada, Idaho, Florida; as well as in, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Egypt.
"We've taken great strives to develop our brand globally and extend our reach into new markets," said Rutkauskas. "Through a strategy that focuses on simplicity of the business model and the freshness of our ingredients, we're creating exceptional brand appeal in countries all over the world."
FreshBerry is one of 14 concepts marketed and developed by Beautiful Brands International. BBI was founded under the leadership of David and Camille Rutkauskas and is responsible for the successful launch of worldwide, franchised brands including Camille's Sidewalk Café, Rex Chicken, Caz's Chowhouse, Café Ole, Greenz Salads, Kyro Pizza, Dixie Cream Donut Co., Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse, Le Beau Rouleau Crepes and Croissants, and St. Michaels Alley.
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