Tariq Farid | Tariq Farid - Founder of Edible Arrangements ® and Entrepreneur

This is a very exciting time for Edible Arrangements. It gives me great pride to announce the launch of the first Edible to Go Location. Designed to be kiosk-like installations that will reinforce our brand in the public eye and provide quick, delicious and healthy treats to consumers on the go in places like malls, airports, etc., the Edible to Go Location represents a thrilling evolutionary step in our growth.

At this moment, our first Edible to Go Location is in full swing at Mall St. Matthews in Louisville, Kentucky, opening its counters to eager new guests. I want to sincerely thank everyone who helped make this incredibly important dream a reality!

We’ve worked very long and hard to achieve this goal of making our great products available to guests in high traffic locations — where literally thousands of people will be able to see and experience our amazing fresh fruit treats and Guest service every day.

It took a huge team effort on the part of our employees, our vendors and, especially, our outstanding franchise partners Ben and Amanda Hiner to be able to accomplish this feat. I know it will be the beginning of an amazing new day for Edible Arrangements – comparable to the founding of our company itself! – creating tremendous new opportunities for our brand and all our franchise partners, on whom all of our success depends.

There is much more work to be done as we take this wonderful new concept forward from here. But as I mark this occasion, I also want to recognize all the outstanding work that made it happen. Here’s to the first of many terrific Edible to Go Locations on the way. Watch for one coming soon to a mall near you!

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Without our franchisees, there would literally be no Edible Arrangements International franchise system. It’s so important to remember that, and always work with franchisees to make our company the best that it can be. They’re the lifeblood of what we do, and it’s only through keeping in touch with them that we continue to grow and meet their needs.

That’s the reason we instituted what we call our Fruit Summit last year, and ever since, we’ve been utilizing Fruit Summit to strengthen that partnership like never before. We just held our latest Fruit Summit here in our corporate office in Wallingford, and it reminded me just why it’s such a crucial element to our success.

A select group of franchisees is invited to participate, and join us here for several days of discussion, debate, and sharing of ideas. We get their feedback on new initiatives and concepts, learning what works and what doesn’t work. They share their experiences in the field with us, making sure we never lose touch with what’s going on out there in the “real world”. They also get to learn exactly how things work on the corporate end. Putting it simply, it’s the perfect opportunity to keep us all on the same page, and a valuable, educational experience for all of us.

Fruit Summit helps us to determine the course we’re charting. It keeps us grounded, and gives me a chance to interact directly with our franchisees, which I always appreciate being able to do. We’ve got one more Fruit Summit planned for later this year, and I’m already looking forward to it. I have no doubt our franchisees will WOW me, just like they always do.

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A decade ago, Deb Kostisin signed a franchise agreement with us to open the first Edible Arrangements store in the state of Rhode Island. This was long before the brand had become the household name it is today. In other words, Deb was taking a bold chance on something that was still in the early stages. I’m proud today to see that her daring has paid off, and also proud to say that she recently renewed that original Providence store.

From the time she originally opened the store, Deb’s goal was to have her husband Ted run the operations. At the time, he was working very long hours managing a large restaurant which was extremely busy. After signing for their second store, Ted decided to quit the restaurant business and join Edible Arrangements full time. Thanks to Deb it was, as he described it, the best decision he ever made.

We have some of the most amazing franchisees in our system, and Deb is way up there near the top. I can still remember our meeting more than ten years ago at a diner, when I first talked to her about buying a franchise. To see her where she is today, with four stores—including our 1000^th store in Cranston, Rhode Island–is truly gratifying. We literally couldn’t do it without franchisees like the Kostisins.

In 2011, they were named Edible Arrangement’s Franchisee of the Year at our annual Convention. Seeing their success over the years, including the renewal of their original store, it’s very easy to understand why.

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At last year’s Edible Arrangements convention, it was my pleasure to bestow the President’s Award—the highest honor an EA franchisee can achieve—to Maurice Welton, a Texas-based owner in our system who has quite literally set the bar as far as positive attitude, enthusiastic determination and work ethic. I’ve been watching Maurice’s progress and growth for years, which is why it was so gratifying to see him recently featured in the March 2013 edition of Black Enterprise magazine.

With his unflagging passion for his business—the business of delivering certified happiness to his many loyal customers—it’s no wonder that Maurice is also a veteran. His can-do spirit and untiring passion has enabled him to expand his Edible Arrangements enterprise from his original McAllen, Texas store to three stores, with plans to expand to a fourth location soon.

Maurice - Edible Arrangements — Maurice – Edible Arrangements Texas Franchisee Owner

It all started due to Maurice’s desire to be his own boss. Interestingly, it was an appearance by my brother Kamran and me on CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch that originally convinced Maurice that EA was the answer he was looking for. I believe it was our passion that connected with Maurice—it was something he also felt within himself. He challenged himself to match our enthusiasm. After researching our company, he decided it was the right fit for him, and started putting together his strategy for success.

Like the most successful of our franchisees, Maurice walked in the door with a plan. He hit the ground running. Every dime he got out of EA, he reinvested in EA. It’s that kind of approach that helped make him into one of the shining stars of the Edible Arrangements franchise system. It’s no surprise to me that he was profiled in Black Enterprise, but it does make me proud. I’d like to take this opportunity to send my warmest congratulations, and wish him continued success in the years to come!

To read the entire article, go here:

http://www.onlinedigitalpubs.com/article/Small+Biz/1343765/0/article.html

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When deciding how best to apply the philanthropic powers of the Farid Foundation, which my brother Kamran and I founded as a way of giving back to the community, sometimes the challenge can be finding the right cause. And sometimes it’s a very easy decision, like the one we made this week.

As a child, my brother Kamran was diagnosed with leukemia, and treated at the Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital. And so, the decision to donate a gift of $100,000 to the Yale School of Medicine on Wednesday was one we made with all our hearts.

The money donated from the Foundation will go specifically to support Yale School of Medicine’s Pediatric Oncology Department’s Psychosocial Service, which provides support for families going through difficult times.

As my brother himself said at the luncheon during which he presented the check for $100,000 to Dr. Gary Kupfer, Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Department, the terrible disease of cancer affects more than just the child diagnosed, but also the entire family, which suffers terrible emotional and financial stress. We can certainly testify to that. With the gift we’ve given, we hope to help other families to cope with exactly these stresses now and in the future.

Our contribution will be used in the Pediatric Oncology Department’s Psychosocial Service division to support the various needs of both patients and families, while also collecting research that will help future diagnosed children and families down the road. My brother and I are proud to have the ability to contribute to a cause like this. It’s one that’s so personally important to us, and we’re gratified to help those who need it the most.

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Author: Tariq Farid

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A Decade of Excellence

Well-Deserved Recognition for an Exemplary Franchisee

Doing Our Part to Fight a Terrible Disease