October marks the 25th business anniversary for Jamaica Blue, one of Australia’s most successful café franchises. Owned by the Foodco Group, Jamaica Blue has grown from one suburban NSW cafe in Miranda in 1992, to become an internationally recognised chain of 170 cafes across seven countries including Australia, New Zealand, China, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK.
General Manager, Drew Eide, attributes the success and longevity to the company’s ethos of empowering franchise partners whilst constantly evolving to meet market trends and the demand of consumers.
“Jamaica Blue has been on an extraordinary journey for the past 25 years and this month, we’re proudly reflecting on where we started, what we have achieved, and what our plans are for the future,” says Drew.
Jamaica Blue’s foundations are grounded squarely in sourcing the very best coffee and using only fresh, locally sourced ingredients. And it’s the innovations such as the healthy collaboration with Food & Nutrition Australia to launch the Signature Harvest Collection menu, and charity partnership with Beacon Foundation to tackle youth unemployment that continues to set Jamaica Blue apart.
In the past 12 months alone, Jamaica Blue has opened eight new franchises within Australia, and according to Drew will continue to expand its footprint locally and internationally.
“Our business model is evolving and we’re diversifying our offering include fully licensed cafes, and hole in the wall espresso bars within malls, airports, hospitals and universities. We’re very much looking forward to where the next 25 years will take us,” says Drew.
Jamaica Blue was recently named a Finalist for both Excellence in Marketing and Franchise Innovation in the Franchise Council of Australia’s Excellence in Franchising Awards. The company has garnered additional industry recognition for its internal Sharing Brighter Days customer service initiative and successive victories in the annual Da Vinci Coffee Championships.