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Once the summer (hot season) is underway, people tend to start thinking more about buying ice cream. But these days, with more and more people counting their calories and trying to keep their waistlines in check, yoghurt ice cream might offer them a somewhat more healthful alternative.
i-frezh’ is a kind of soft-serve ice cream served up by a dispensing machine. Although the regular ice cream served up in the form of a hard scoop continues to be a more popular snack at present, there are now several local and foreign brands of yoghurt ice cream on the market. In case of the local i-frezh brand, the ‘fruit yoghurt’ is its major selling point.
Lots of potential
Thantip Suksaichon founded the i-frezh brand in Thailand in October 2007 after leaving a major export company to dedicate all her time to the new enterprise. She began by introducing the product at trade shows.
She says the product is attractive to local consumers and there is room for more players in the yoghurt ice cream market.
About 10 investors have registered an interest in buying a franchise, she said, since they believe it i-frezh yoghurt ice cream is an interesting product. Investors are also attracted to the fact that there aren’t many competitors in this particular market segment.
Thantip aims to develop more products so that the brand can meet the demands of consumers, while she also plans to dedicate more time to strengthening the i-frezh brand.
 
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Italian roots
Thantip said she learned about the recipe for i-frezh yoghurt ice cream from an Italian. She bought the rights to the recipe and also imports the fat-free yoghurt powder used in i-frezh from Italy. The recipe has been adjusted slightly in line with local tastes, she said.
Thantip said the imported yoghurt powder is mixed with fresh milk before being topped with seasonal fruits. Young people are the main target market since they are tending to become more health conscious.
The first branch of i-frezh was opened in Silom - Bangkok’s leading business district. The price of an i-frezh yoghurt ice cream ranges from 36-49 baht (US$1.13-1.55), which is about the same as other brands of premium ice creams.
Thantip said she is aiming to open between 30 and 50 franchises nationwide this year, while she would also consider expanding into nearby countries, including Myanmar and Vietnam.
Potential franchisees can choose from four different kinds of franchise.
The ‘Shop in Shop’ is a small yoghurt ice cream outlet that could be accommodated within an existing restaurant or coffee shop.
A ‘Stand-alone Shop’ requires a space of between 10-50 square meters. It would be able to sell ice cream, bakery items, coffee, or offer internet access.
The ‘Kiosk’ is a very small outlet, which requires a space of just 4-6 sq m.
There is also an ‘open’ option, which allows potential operators to design a format to suit their needs.
Franchises are priced at between 300,000 and 650,000 baht ($9,512-20,611). A franchisee is only required to purchase three ingredients from i-frezh: yoghurt powder; fresh milk; and packaging.
The return on investment (ROI) period will depend on the location of a store and rental fees. The cost of the ingredients and management-related costs amount to about 60-70% of income, so the remaining 30-40% will be net profit, she said.
For further information, call Tel: +66 (0)81 855 4308, or visit the i-frezh website at http://www.i-frezh.com. – Translated into English and republished with the kind permission of Manager Online. |
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Biz Spotlight
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