If you are a coffee lover who has ever visited Greece, there is a high chance you know about one of their very own coffee brand that has grown its presence in 5 continents with over 240 stores. In this interview we talk about Mikel – The coffee community’s success journey with coffee lovers across the world.
1. How did you enter in the franchise business?
Beginning at the turn of the 21st century, our CEO Mr. Eleftherios Kyriakakis created multiple businesses; that included cafés, bars, and restaurants. He eventually settled upon the great idea for a high-quality branded coffee chain that would take the city of Larissa in Greece by storm in 2008. This innovation in the local café industry was called Mikel. Mikel soon began acquiring ever larger number of fans, customers and creating an ever increasing number of stores
2. Where and how did the idea of your concept come from?
In an overly saturated market in Greece at that point in time, the local cafes with ever decreasing standards weren’t able to provide specialty coffee lovers with the adequate quality of coffee they required to fuel their daily needs, thus setting up the rapid rise of the Mikel Coffee Company.
3. What inspired the brand name?
The Mikel Coffee Company owes it’s naming mainly due to the name of my father (Michael), but it’s also a combination of his own name along with my two brothers who helped me {(Mi)ltos, (K)yriakos, (El)eftherios}.
4. What is the story behind the brand’s logo?
The thought behind the Mikel logo was to put my fathers’ photograph on the Mikel brands’ picture, beyond the fact that I have immense love and affection for him, it was a way for me to convey a unique brand logo and make the Mikel Coffee Company stand out from other international branded coffee chains.
5. What makes your brand different from your competitors?
First of all our top quality of coffee, beverages and other Mikel products found in all our stores worldwide. Furthermore, we provide streamlined franchising routes to aid in the opening of Mikel Stores in new markets while providing the best service to our franchisees in setting up and running their stores effectively and efficiently. At the same time we are providing very competitive pricing to our all our product line-up while giving the consumer top quality coffee and other products, with the loving feel of Greek hospitality. A brief overview below:
Fast and flexible store setup
Ensured Quality (ISO 22000)
Extensive staff training
Support services
Constant values
Marketing support
6. What are the essential qualities that you look for in a franchisee?
We want our franchisees to be highly motivated and to have a drive to excel and be better everyday, while at the same time understanding bumps on the roads to success only makes them and the Mikel brand stronger. We all must have a united goal, and are an international family of coffee lovers that have come together to set our aims to expand throughout the world, and show future customers of the Mikel Coffee Company what they have been missing out all these years from their coffee life.
7. How long does it take, on average, for your franchisee to realize their investment?
This varies according to the specific country and city, but a world average is under 24 months.
8. What was the major challenge you faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?
Leaving my previous successful ventures, and starting from the beginning again in recreating a business and making the Mikel Coffee Company, which ultimately turned out to be the best decision for the future.
8.1. What is your best achievement?
After creating and owning multiple businesses over the past 3 decades, founding the Mikel Coffee Company has been my crowning achievement, but it is still in its growing phase.
9. How does your business day start?
By having a few cups of my favorite Mikel espresso and planning the new franchise expansion of Mikel.
10. What was your best moment throughout your franchise career?
There are so many to choose from, and I think the best is yet to come.
11. Where do you see your brand in the next 5 years?
We will be in at least 30 countries internationally, and have well over 600 stores internationally.
12. Any tips you want to impart to our readers who want to be in the franchise industry?
Be focused, brave and know what you want. Be sure about the franchising business you want to invest and undertake in and pursue it.
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