Smoothie operator
The smoothie franchisor Robeks Corp. said it will open three more shops in Fairfield County, while landing a contract from a Subway affiliate to open six others at Connecticut rest stops under construction, the first slated for Milford where Subway is based.
Robeks said the expansion will result in 150 new jobs, and that it is considering Greenwich and Westchester County, N.Y., as potential new real estate, as well as New Haven and Hartford.
Based in California, Robeks features smoothies made-to-order from whole fruit, unsweetened fruit juices, nonfat yogurt and low-fat sherbet, and a line of nutritional boosts. The company asks potential franchisees for $100,000 in liquid capital and net worth totaling $350,000; area developers who support those franchisees must have $400,000 in capital and $1.5 million in net worth.
The company opened its first Connecticut location in 2004 in Stamford. Robeks has three shops in Stamford and another in Westport, among seven in Connecticut. The Westport location is Robeks”™ top-producing store and three others are in the top 10, despite many of Robeks”™ some 25 stores located in sunnier climes. The company is holding grand openings in Stamford, Norwalk and Fairfield.
Katrina Bickford, Robeks”™ regional director who lives in Wilton, said the food and beverage industry is doing well in Connecticut.
The smoothie subcategory of that industry also appears to be doing well ”“ other franchisors include Smoothie King, ranked 67th on Entrepreneur Magazine”™s Franchise 500 list (Robeks ranked 172nd), Surf City Squeeze, Nrgize Lifestyle Café, Planet Smoothie and Maui Wowi Hawaiian. In the Hartford area, Emerald City Smoothie has established three locations, but has yet to do so in Fairfield County or New York.
Several other restaurant franchisors sell smoothies as well, of course, ranging from Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin”™ Donuts, which is fresh off an initial public offering of stock, to Hamden-based Edible Arrangements, best known for its fruit gift baskets and centerpieces. And any number of independent eateries in Fairfield County sell smoothies as well.
The category has become enough of a fixture in the American diet, in fact, that a Juice and Smoothie Association exists to represent members.
Smooth transition
The term smoothie was first used in 1932 by the Adler Co. of Connecticut as a trade name for the company”™s line of girdles and bras, according to the Juice and Smoothie Association (JASA).
It took a few more years for an Indianapolis company to apply the word to a chocolate syrup and powder that could be mixed into milk, and JASA credits Kenner, La.-based Smoothie King for the current connotation of the word today.