São Paulo – Yogoberry, a Rio de Janeiro chain of yoghurt based ice-cream is expanding in the Middle East. The company signed a contract with Iranian businessman Kian Khaleghian, who has become the brand’s master franchisee for the entire region, covering countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
The Brazilian brand’s first shops were opened in Tehran. One, inaugurated in July 2011, is within a sports club. “He wanted to open it there to establish the brand name in the country,” explained Walter Sampaio, managing director at Yogoberry, who accompanied the company’s internationalisation process. The second, inaugurated on May 31st of this year, is located in a shopping centre in the Iranian capital.
“For the second shop, he chose a site with great circulation, and a third one has already been scheduled,” he pointed out. The shops in Tehran, said Sampaio, belong to Khaleghian, but, as a master franchisee, he may nominate other franchisees to open other points of sale in the Middle East.
The Brazilian executive says that the Iranian businessman is not a traditional player in the food sector, but an executive in the finance market. His story with Yogoberry began during a visit to Brazil, in which he met his Brazilian girlfriend. Apart from going to the beach, they used to go to a brand shop in Ipanema, in Rio de Janeiro.
“He decided to dare and managed to establish a group of 14 partners to create an investment fund and explore the Yogoberry brand in the Middle East,” says Sampaio. According to him, Iran is a country where there is a “dearth of novelties”. “The brand gained success, but it is still too early to gain great recognition. I believe that now, with the second shop, it should take off,” he bets.
“He developed great logistics work, and had to find his own suppliers. Now I believe that he is going to want to capitalise, opening other shops,” said Sampaio. The executive added that the company is very pleased with the work Khaleghian has been developing in the Middle East.
Sampaio explains that the master franchise system works as a filter for the company, as the franchisee is responsible for the opening of new shops and for analysing what markets are capable of receiving these units.
The Brazilian says that it was not hard to establish the brand in Iran. It was only necessary to make some adaptation to the local taste. “As topping, the Iranians like nuts and dried fruit,” he pointed out. The yoghurt part is supplied by the same Italian producer who sells to the Brazilian shops.
To the executive, the main differential of Yogoberry is the quality of its yoghurts. “Our products come from an Italian supplier, who is traditional in the chilled product area. It is a company with over 100 years in operation in the market. The chocolate toppings are also made by the best brands,” he said. The Italian PreGel, said Sampaio, makes exclusive products for the brand.
According to the executive, the company has also been approached by businessmen interested in opening franchises in other countries in South America, as well as Spain and the United States. Established in 2007, Yogoberry has 95 shops in 14 Brazilian states. In 2011, company revenues reached R$ 79 million (US$ 39 million).
Contact
Yogoberry
E-mail: atendimento@yogoberry.com.br
Site: www.yogoberry.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
