THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS

After going through the grinder, it all paid off for The Coffee Club franchisees

New café owners Jas Kaur and Mani Singh have a favourite saying: ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going!’ It’s an attitude that has served them well since they bought The Coffee Club in Wyndham Street, Central Auckland, in August 2021 – just 16 months later they set an all-time sales record for the group.

‘Our journey has been about positivity, focus, belief and dedication, but we haven’t done it alone – we’ve had amazing support from a superb franchise, and it’s all paid off,’ says Jas. Jas and Mani must have had one of the rockiest starts ever in their own business. ‘We took over The Coffee Club on Wyndham Street just as the city went back into lockdown for months.

Central Auckland was like a ghost town, but we kept going, the locals supported us, and The Coffee Club maintained their faith in us and kept our spirits up. You really can’t do any planning in those conditions – you just have to keep going day by day.’

Mani adds, ‘You sometimes hear rumours that franchises don’t really care about the individuals – The Coffee Club really care and they want all their franchisees to succeed and grow. Frankly, they are amazing!’

Guided into our own business

Both Jas and husband Mani have backgrounds in hospitality. ‘We worked our way up through the industry from washing-up in kitchens to becoming baristas, running front of house, and management roles,’ Jas explains. ‘We are passionate about the industry and knew we wanted our own café, so we saved hard. When we began to research franchises, The Coffee Club stood out for us: it’s highly popular, well-established and we liked the high standards, superb systems and excellent documentation.

‘We knew it was just what we needed to guide us into our own business, and when Wyndham Street came on the market, we instinctively felt we could make a go of it if we had the opportunity.

‘We have 20 years’ combined experience in hospo, so we were quite used to doing things our own way but a franchise like The Coffee Club has achieved multiple success because it has proven processes in place. We did have to adapt to that, and as we learned we proved even more the strength of having good systems and following them.’ That’s not to say Jas and Mani haven’t brought their own ideas to the business.

‘The franchise was very supportive of us and helped us identify positive changes. Even now, we are still learning and improving day-by-day and we intend to carry on doing that.’

Just to add to the challenge, Jas and Mani have a daughter who is now nearly two. ‘For my wife it was even more difficult as she had to manage a business and a little girl,’ says Mani with admiration. ‘I think Jas is amazing – she manages the kitchen, doubles as a barista, keeps the customers happy and is also a great mother – not to mention my wife!’

Maximising profitability

Originally founded in Australia, The Coffee Club has over 350 stores internationally with 65 in New Zealand. Here alone, it has won 15 Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards, including winning the Supreme Franchise System title twice, and Supreme Franchisee of the Year no less than three times – a unique record.

‘The foundations of our success are good food, great service and excellent coffee,’ says co-director Brad Jacobs. ‘These attract a wide range of customers throughout all parts of the day, and our highlydeveloped systems and marketing are geared to maximise profitability for our franchisees.

‘In the end, though, the success of each individual business comes down to the franchisees in the cafés. Jas and Mani should be proud of themselves for what they have achieved through very difficult times. They kept going, they never lost faith, they listened to advice and came up with some very positive ideas that have benefitted everyone. We are very proud of them, and delighted to see them achieving such great results now.’

Choose great people – support them well

‘Our goal is to choose great people as franchisees and then train and support them to build the businesses they want,’ Brad continues. ‘If you like making people happy and leading a team, and have the kind of determination and commitment Jas and Mani have demonstrated, you can build a great business with The Coffee Club – even if you don’t have their experience.

‘As you can see from our awards and our franchisees’ results, we have a winning system. Investment levels range from $300,000 to $450,000, with potential rewards to match. Get in touch to find out more.’

As Jas says, ‘It wasn’t easy, and we had some difficult times but The Coffee Club was always there for us and we decided we would not leave. We committed to work every day, and we focused on our goals. Today, just like the aroma of wonderful coffee, we can smell our success.’

Advertiser Info

The Coffee Club

www.thecoffeeclub.co.nz

Contact Brad Jacobs

P 0-9-304 0008 M 0275 263 333

b.jacobs@thecoffeeclub.co.nz

After a rocky start, Mani Singh and Jas Kaur are setting all-time sales records