Demi
Tue, Jan-21-14, 04:00
From Business Review Weekly, Australia
21 January, 2014
Paleo Cafe franchise founders find caveman food equals 21st-century business
When Marlies Hobbs started the Paleo diet, she was quickly hooked on the health benefits but frustrated by the lack of ingredients.
In April 2012, she had a “wouldn’t it be great if” moment during a conver~sation with her husband, Jai, who ran a finance business. He immediately spotted the potential and registered the Paleo Cafe name the very next day.
A few months later, Marlies Hobbs left her job as a lawyer and opened the first Paleo Cafe in Cairns, in far north Queensland. She hasn’t looked back.
“People definitely saw us as taking a risk. And it was. We risked everything but we genuinely believed in it and we were passionate about it. I think people like the sense of community and the story that comes with it.” It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle, Hobbs says.
The diet encourages followers to eat like cavemen – consuming lots of meats, eggs, nuts, seeds and berries, while eliminating sugar, grains, legumes and dairy. American doctor Loren Cordain popularised the concept after reading Dr S. Boyd Eaton’s paper on Palaeolithic nutrition in 1987.
The Paleo Cafe opened in October 2012 and started franchising in March 2013. The chain has five cafes in Cairns, Paddington in Brisbane, Brisbane CBD, Bondi Junction in Sydney and the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. A further four stores are opening early this year, in North Lakes in Brisbane, Albury and Newcastle in NSW and Townsville in Queensland.
Recruiting franchisees
Hobbs is actively recruiting more franchisees and told The Australian Financial Review she plans for 30 additional franchises by the end of the year and wants to ~register the Paleo Cafe trademark in the United States and Canada.
In the official directory of the Franchise Council of Australia, Paleo Cafe is advertising opportunities in Melbourne, Sydney, and the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, and Townsville in Queensland. The franchise fee is $35,000 for five years with a weekly flat fee of $500 a week and no percentage of profits.
The listing suggests franchisees could expect annual sales between $1 million and $2 million depending on the size and location of the restaurant.
Tynan Callesen manages the Paleo Cafe in Sydney that opened in Bondi in November. He became curious after seeing the cafe’s strong following on social media.
“The idea that it was a fad crossed our minds but I think there’s enough awareness about alternative lifestyles that convinces me that it isn’t a passing fad,” Callesen says.
Still, dietitians are wary. “There will always be a new fad after the Paleo diet and there were plenty before it,” says Kate Gudorf from the Dietitians Asso~ciation of Australia. “But the core food groups in the Australian dietary guidelines have long been around before and will remain after. People could be missing out on key components like dairy, legumes and whole grains.”
Contributing further to the ripples of scepticism is new research from palaeo~biologists at the Natural History Museum in London, which reveals cavity problems in skulls from the Palaeolithic period, suggesting cavemen ate carbohydrates and sweets, a direct contradiction to the modern Paleo regime.http://www.brw.com.au/p/entrepreneurs/paleo_cafe_franchise_founders_find_nvRJoysyj8iqNHFiQC1RwL
21 January, 2014
Paleo Cafe franchise founders find caveman food equals 21st-century business
When Marlies Hobbs started the Paleo diet, she was quickly hooked on the health benefits but frustrated by the lack of ingredients.
In April 2012, she had a “wouldn’t it be great if” moment during a conver~sation with her husband, Jai, who ran a finance business. He immediately spotted the potential and registered the Paleo Cafe name the very next day.
A few months later, Marlies Hobbs left her job as a lawyer and opened the first Paleo Cafe in Cairns, in far north Queensland. She hasn’t looked back.
“People definitely saw us as taking a risk. And it was. We risked everything but we genuinely believed in it and we were passionate about it. I think people like the sense of community and the story that comes with it.” It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle, Hobbs says.
The diet encourages followers to eat like cavemen – consuming lots of meats, eggs, nuts, seeds and berries, while eliminating sugar, grains, legumes and dairy. American doctor Loren Cordain popularised the concept after reading Dr S. Boyd Eaton’s paper on Palaeolithic nutrition in 1987.
The Paleo Cafe opened in October 2012 and started franchising in March 2013. The chain has five cafes in Cairns, Paddington in Brisbane, Brisbane CBD, Bondi Junction in Sydney and the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. A further four stores are opening early this year, in North Lakes in Brisbane, Albury and Newcastle in NSW and Townsville in Queensland.
Recruiting franchisees
Hobbs is actively recruiting more franchisees and told The Australian Financial Review she plans for 30 additional franchises by the end of the year and wants to ~register the Paleo Cafe trademark in the United States and Canada.
In the official directory of the Franchise Council of Australia, Paleo Cafe is advertising opportunities in Melbourne, Sydney, and the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, and Townsville in Queensland. The franchise fee is $35,000 for five years with a weekly flat fee of $500 a week and no percentage of profits.
The listing suggests franchisees could expect annual sales between $1 million and $2 million depending on the size and location of the restaurant.
Tynan Callesen manages the Paleo Cafe in Sydney that opened in Bondi in November. He became curious after seeing the cafe’s strong following on social media.
“The idea that it was a fad crossed our minds but I think there’s enough awareness about alternative lifestyles that convinces me that it isn’t a passing fad,” Callesen says.
Still, dietitians are wary. “There will always be a new fad after the Paleo diet and there were plenty before it,” says Kate Gudorf from the Dietitians Asso~ciation of Australia. “But the core food groups in the Australian dietary guidelines have long been around before and will remain after. People could be missing out on key components like dairy, legumes and whole grains.”
Contributing further to the ripples of scepticism is new research from palaeo~biologists at the Natural History Museum in London, which reveals cavity problems in skulls from the Palaeolithic period, suggesting cavemen ate carbohydrates and sweets, a direct contradiction to the modern Paleo regime.http://www.brw.com.au/p/entrepreneurs/paleo_cafe_franchise_founders_find_nvRJoysyj8iqNHFiQC1RwL