Engineers Build A Juice Machine!

EDMONTON (Wednesday, October 03, 2001) - Forget passion fruit at Booster Juice the founders just have a passion for business.

The Edmonton-based juice and smoothie bar franchise started in late 1999 with one outlet in Sherwood Park. Now it has opened 42 stores in five provinces with plans for 10 more openings in the next two months.
Interest from prospective franchisees is strong, with inquiries coming from British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Maritimes, says Dale Wishewan, the company's CEO and co-founder.

"We can't keep up. We just hired a manager of franchise sales for Canada. We must have 30 new inquiries per day."One of the company's newest outlets, opened last month in Edmonton Centre, is doing a brisk business. It's already among Booster Juice's top three performing stores, sharing the honors with operations in West Edmonton Mall and Oliver Square.

"We'll want to do somewhere around 150 new stores next year averaging three stores per week both corporate and franchise. Right now we own eight corporate stores," says Wishewan. Even before Wishewan and co-founder Jon Amack opened the first store, their intention was to go into franchising. They set a goal of 2O stores in their first year and did 19.

This year, the objective is 70 stores and Wishewan said they're on pace to reach that target.

"When we went into the Saskatchewan market," says Wishewan, "where you would think it might be a bit more meat and potatoes and people might not take into a new concept quite that quickly, it surprised us with how all age groups are enjoying the product, from five-year-olds to 75-year-olds and wanting it to be part of their diet."

Booster Juice attributes its success to hard work and a product that's a healthy alternative to fast food.

"I think people are seeing they can have their five servings of fruit a day in one smoothie something that is good for your body."

Despite having no experience in the industry, Amack and Wishewan plowed ahead, inspired by their love of being in business.

"It was a matter of seeing that the timing was right for this concept in Canada. We think it's an advantage to us of not having any franchise background or any restaurant background not being fixed on the way things should be done. We've iust come up with our own methods.

"We've both been very successful at everything we've done. We've both thrived at everything we've done. We just take an approach that we can't fail at anything — it's just working harder and putting our focus in.

"I think it helps that my partner and myself were engineers, very technical individuals, which means we have a pretty good business plan and good targets of where we want to be."

Booster Juice, so named because in each one of the company's smoothies you get a nutritional boost, ranging from echinacea and goldenseal to ginseng and bee pollen. Wishewan says customers can select a drink to meet their body's needs an energy booster or a cold warrior booster, for example. Dietitians advised the company on the proper amount of supplements for each product.

In an industry where they are pretty much setting the benchmarks, Booster Juice is planning to take their formula into the United States. Research and documentation has been done and the company is set to open franchises across the border in the near term. Wishewan would not divulge further details citing competition concerns.

View all Booster Juice Press Releases

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