Business Franchise Australia

Iconic Melbourne café opens first South East Queensland Degani

Melbourne coffee chain Degani has opened its first Brisbane café, marking its expansion into South East Queensland and providing a showroom for prospective partners interested in the brand.

The successful Victorian coffee business opened its Calamvale café in April, creating 15 new jobs in the southside suburb while continuing to brew plans for expansion in Brisbane and further afield.

A community launch of the new store will be held on Saturday 30 May with the Degani founder George Pezaros making the journey north to see the first entry into the Brisbane market.

Degani has set itself a goal to open more than 60 stores in the next 12 months and is actively recruiting franchise business partners located across Australia, including the new markets Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.

Since the Calamvale doors opened, Degani has received around 50 enquiries from prospective franchisees looking to replicate the business model in other parts of the country.

Degani Franchise Development Manager Tanya Kanaris said it was rewarding to see Degani finally opening its doors in Brisbane after enjoying 16 years of business in Victoria.

“Our opening at Calamvale represents our first step into the Brisbane coffee scene,” Ms Kanaris said.

“We believe the city, and Queensland generally represents untapped opportunity for potential business partners to replicate the Degani Victorian success story here in the Sunshine state.”

The Degani model encourages franchisees to fit-out stores in style with their individual locations, their local communities and the tastes of their owners. Stores vary in size from smaller kiosks and cafes through to chic, spacious restaurants.

“The vision for Degani is to grow into the number one franchise enterprise in the country, serving the best coffee within classic environments that complement each individual store’s locale and clientele,” Ms Kanaris said.

Founded by the Melbourne-based entrepreneur George Pezaros in 1999, Degani started with a single bakery café in Victoria’s Clifton Hill and has grown to 70.

Ms Kanaris said the Degani brand was tried and tested and she had no doubt that the business would be welcomed by Brisbane’s coffee enthusiasts.

“With sales of over one million cups of coffee a month, there is no doubt that we have a winning formula when it comes to the Degani business model,” she said.

“Degani is built on individuality and becoming a part of the Degani family empowers our franchise business partners to run their cafes the way they want to, but with the full support of a trusted, reputable and profitable brand.”