Edible Arrangements was named one of America’s fastest-growing privately held businesses in America by Inc. Magazine and has been ranked first in its category by Entrepreneur Magazine’s Annual “Franchise 500” Ranking for the past seven consecutive years. In 2011, Edible Arrangements was ranked 9th on Forbes.com ‘Top Franchises for the Money” listing. In February of 2009, Tariq was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the International Franchise Association, whose members include more than 1,300 franchise systems, 11,000 franchisees and 500 suppliers. In June 2009 Tariq was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 Award in the Retail and Consumer Products category in Metro New York.
Over the years I’ve found that media interviews are important and have really helped to spread the story and brand of Edible Arrangements. The interview I did with Guy Raz of “How I Built This” was a thrill. I’m a fan of public radio and this show. I used to drive around for hours listening to Guy and always have been an admirer of his work. Today as I drive to visit a franchisee, I often tune in and listen to one of his of his podcasts.
This interview was a joyous ride for me. Take a listen. Let me know what you think.
In the early days after creating Edible Arrangements, my goal was really pretty simple. I wanted to create a “WOW” moment for customers. Like all new entrepreneurs, I had dreams of growing the business and hoped that maybe someday our products could be a source of enjoyment for people around the world.
Fast forward, and I could not be happier that we are launching an aggressive international expansion campaign under the direction of the president of Edible Global, Tony Pavese. We are focusing on the GCC (Gulf Cooperative Council), MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and Southeast Asia markets and our goal is to open as many as 100 locations over the next three years. As part of this initiative we are excited to work with World Franchise Associates to help identify prospective development partners in the markets we are focusing on for growth.
This is a very exciting time to be a part of Edible Arrangements as we continue to evolve the brand and our products. And I am happy about this opportunity for our products to become a source of enjoyment for people across the globe — whether it’s a surprise arrangement arriving for a special occasion, a group of friends grabbing a fresh fruit smoothie together or someone with an entrepreneurial spirit realizing their dream by opening their own Edible store.
When I look back at the growth Edible Arrangements has achieved over the past years I’m humbly reminded of all the amazing and hard-working team members, franchisees and millions of customers that have made it possible for us to get to this point. I remember how excited I was when I created my first fruit arrangement and my first customer said, “WOW.” I am equally excited today as we look forward to increasing our global expansion efforts and having the chance to make people around the world say, “WOW.”.
As the country gets ready to celebrate Father’s Day, many fathers and sons still dream of working side by side. Today, I turned my blog over to Eric Balcerzak, who shares his insights and memories of working alongside his father Ed in their Edible Arrangement stores in Connecticut.
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My father got into this business after he received an Edible Arrangement as a gift. After researching the company, he opened his first store in 2004.
By 2015, my father was the owner of four stores operating West Haven, Milford, Bridgeport and Fairfield. I was 20 years old when I started working in the stores with him. From the beginning, we had a division of roles and responsibilities in the store.
Working with my dad for 10 years, I got see every aspect of the business. From cutting and dipping fruit to making arrangements. When I started, there were maybe 12 choices of arrangements. No apples, just chocolate strawberries. Today, there’s much more personalization which is good for the customer. Just like any employee, I learned a lot by doing. I got insight and understanding as to why things were done in the business because I was his son.
Two years ago, in the spring, after signing the final papers at Edible headquarters, which would mark my father’s fourth store in the state; we were in the car leaving Wallingford and heading back to Branford. During the drive, my father was saying that he needed to make plans to make me an owner of a store. That’s when I realized I’d proven myself to him.
Sadly, paperwork was never completed. My father died unexpectedly in May 2015. Despite the shock and grief, I kept the business in the family. I’m the owner of the Milford and West Haven stores. I sold the other two stores.
I’m in the process of renovating the West Haven store, getting ready to introduce the new product line of fresh fruit smoothies, parfaits and froyo fruit shakes. These products are all part of Edible to Go counter service. I’m looking forward a grand re-opening to reintroduce the store to the businesses and nonprofits in West Haven.
With the approach of Memorial Day and all the summer kickoff backyard barbecues and pool parties, I once again want to take a moment to pause and reflect on the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
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