In a glittering affair, held at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast (Queensland, Australia), Zarraffa’s Coffee, a coffee roaster based in Currambine (Western Australia), crowned its 2016 Franchisee of the Year.
Taking top honours were mother and daughter duo, Tracey Slater and Danielle Cook, who helm the specialty coffee QSR’s Warwick store.
In a stellar year for the company, the regional Warwick store was the top all-around performer, proving that coffee culture is a strong retail constant in markets from the coast to the bush.
“It’s a firm indictment, not only for our brand but for the strength of coffee as a retail staple in both metro and regional markets,” said Zarraffa’s CEO Kenton Campbell.
“Our plans to extend our footprint are based primarily on our customers and their access to convenient coffee, and it is operators like Tracey and Danielle who exemplify the experience,” said Kenton.
The duo who opened their store in 2011, made the decision to relocate back to Warwick to open what was then the company’s 5th drive thru location.
“We turned up to head office and they offered us the Warwick site, it must have been fated as Mum was born and bred there and we have six generations of family in the vicinity,” said Danielle.
The team enjoy an easy partnership that has been the lynchpin of their success, as it’s not every mother/ daughter relationship that can create a prosperous business.
“We are both used to working hard and long hours and, when we set out on this journey with Zarraffa’s, we came to the decision that if we were going to be doing the hard yards we’d much prefer to do it for ourselves. It’s been an incredible ride so far.”
The 2016 Store of the Year Award has once again been awarded to the Beenleigh store and franchisees Nick and Kelly Daswani.
For the second year running, Beenleigh has taken the coveted accolade, with owner Nick acknowledging that every day it was a team effort.
“I like to live by the ethos that ‘no one ever gave his best and regretted it’, and I would say that is especially true of our staff – there are definitely no regrets and we have been fortunate enough to be rewarded two years in a row for it,” he said.
The 2016 Awards also recognised new talent in the company, ironically with a long established store.
Miami One on the Gold Coast, took out this year’s Rookie of the Year Award with owners, Ben and Camilla Martin with Rebecca and Courtney Seager, working diligently to build up the business and create high customer satisfaction since taking on the franchise in 2014.
The CEO Encouragement Award was presented to the Coolangatta store who have continued to build a solid business in the southern Gold Coast area.
Another example of an established store site, which opened in 2010, being given a new lease on life through hard work and collaboration by franchisees Marcus and Melissa Free, who purchased the franchise in mid-2014.
“It’s been a big couple of years of consolidation with some stores being turned over to new ownership and the 2016 Awards are testament to our franchisee’s commitment to our system and, I believe, to the support delivered to ensure health across our entire franchise network,” said Kenton.
“We are entering our 20th year of retailing and I cannot express my excitement for what’s to come in the next few years.”
“There are incredible opportunities for expansion in new markets, which will deliver better convenience for our customers, through new and improved food offerings, a more comfortable instore experience, and a brand new base of operations, all built around the same exceptional coffee we have always been known for.”
“All of this, combined with an incredible foundation of dedicated franchisees and amazing customers, is what I have been working towards since opening my first store in 1996 and is genuinely a dream come true.”
The full list of 2016 Award recipients:
Franchisee of the Year: Zarraffa’s Coffee Warwick (Tracey Slater and Danielle Cook)
Rookie of the Year (6-12 months trading): Zarraffa’s Coffee Miami One (Ben and Camilla Martin with Rebecca and Courtney Seager)
CEO Encouragement Award: Zarraffa’s Coffee Coolangatta (Marcus and Melissa Free)
Store of the Year: Zarraffa’s Coffee Beenleigh (Nick and Kelly Daswani)
Growth Award (Less than 2 years trading): Zarraffa’s Coffee Fairfield (Brendon, Debbie and Corey Blakemore)
Drive Thru Growth Award (2 years plus trading): Zarraffa’s Coffee Kalgoorlie (Scott & Kyla Paterson)
Strip Mall Growth Award (2 years plus trading): Zarraffa’s Coffee Jimboomba (Anna Fraser)
Internal Shopping Centre Growth Award (2 years plus trading): Zarraffa’s Coffee Capalaba (Prem & Dee Keshwani)
External Shopping Centre Growth Award (2 years plus trading): Zarraffa’s Coffee Harbour Town (Kenton & Rachel Campbell)
For more information about Zarraffa’s Coffee visit www.zarraffas.com.
