HISTORY
While David Lopez was a business student in college, he felt he was not being exposed to enough real world business experiences. So he approached family friends and advisors who suggested he identify an emerging industry, product line or trend that had a huge potential for growth and no recognizable industry leader. After an exhaustive search of countless industries, David began to investigate smoothies. He found that the smoothie industry was enormous and that it was tracking at a double digit growth rate for the previous several years. Through continued research, he also determined that there was no identifiable leader in the smoothie industry. With American’s hunger for a healthier lifestyle on the rise, he knew instantly that this was the business he wanted to start.
As any good entrepreneur knows, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. So David immediately went to work for several smoothie concepts to gain firsthand knowledge of both the industry and the competition. He identified exactly what he liked and, more importantly, what he didn’t like about how other smoothie shops were being run. From the store design and layout to the actual ingredients used in the products being served, David was already envisioning exactly what he wanted to accomplish with Froots. Armed with what he considered to be the “best in breed” from most of the smoothie chains in the country, he designed, built and opened his first Froots in December 2001. Based on the overwhelming success of this flagship store, he opened two more Froots not that long thereafter.
The difference David wanted to bring to market with Froots was the focus on health. He elected to use only all natural ingredients in every smoothie he made. Another crucial element to the success of Froots in David’s mind was the full menu of healthy wraps, salads and gourmet soups to complement the natural smoothies. This was a key differentiator from the competition in the marketplace in that he didn’t want to be considered just another smoothie shop - he wanted people to think of Froots as a lunchtime destination and give them a reason to come back on a more frequent basis. It also opened up the additional revenue streams of catering and delivery!
With three stores open and having obviously struck a chord with his customers, David started being approached regarding franchise opportunities. So in March 2004, Froots Franchising Companies was born and after only a few short months, the first Froots Franchise opened in Gainesville, FL. Over the next three years David oversaw the expansion of Froots into one of the fastest growing smoothie chains in the country. In addition to stores open and under development all throughout the United States, Froots is now actively bringing its healthy take on quick service restaurants to countries all over the world.
While David Lopez was a business student in college, he felt he was not being exposed to enough real world business experiences. So he approached family friends and advisors who suggested he identify an emerging industry, product line or trend that had a huge potential for growth and no recognizable industry leader. After an exhaustive search of countless industries, David began to investigate smoothies. He found that the smoothie industry was enormous and that it was tracking at a double digit growth rate for the previous several years. Through continued research, he also determined that there was no identifiable leader in the smoothie industry. With American’s hunger for a healthier lifestyle on the rise, he knew instantly that this was the business he wanted to start.
As any good entrepreneur knows, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. So David immediately went to work for several smoothie concepts to gain firsthand knowledge of both the industry and the competition. He identified exactly what he liked and, more importantly, what he didn’t like about how other smoothie shops were being run. From the store design and layout to the actual ingredients used in the products being served, David was already envisioning exactly what he wanted to accomplish with Froots. Armed with what he considered to be the “best in breed” from most of the smoothie chains in the country, he designed, built and opened his first Froots in December 2001. Based on the overwhelming success of this flagship store, he opened two more Froots not that long thereafter.
The difference David wanted to bring to market with Froots was the focus on health. He elected to use only all natural ingredients in every smoothie he made. Another crucial element to the success of Froots in David’s mind was the full menu of healthy wraps, salads and gourmet soups to complement the natural smoothies. This was a key differentiator from the competition in the marketplace in that he didn’t want to be considered just another smoothie shop - he wanted people to think of Froots as a lunchtime destination and give them a reason to come back on a more frequent basis. It also opened up the additional revenue streams of catering and delivery!
With three stores open and having obviously struck a chord with his customers, David started being approached regarding franchise opportunities. So in March 2004, Froots Franchising Companies was born and after only a few short months, the first Froots Franchise opened in Gainesville, FL. Over the next three years David oversaw the expansion of Froots into one of the fastest growing smoothie chains in the country. In addition to stores open and under development all throughout the United States, Froots is now actively bringing its healthy take on quick service restaurants to countries all over the world.
