Franchisee Leanne Parkes worked in tourism for the past 14 years as a VIP services manager at Conrad Jupiter’s and was a well-known lover of Zarraffa’s coffee long before she entertained the idea of opening a franchise.

"I always had a Zarraffa’s coffee in hand so it was no surprise to my colleagues when I announced I was opening up a Zarraffa’s franchise. I basically decided to buy the business because I was a regular customer and drank so much of the coffee," she says.

To ready herself for the task of running a Zarraffa’s franchise, Parkes undertook an intensive training course at the company’s training facility on the Gold Coast.

"The quality of training is very high from the written training material to the practical side of the business. It enabled us to gain a thorough understanding of all the facets of running our franchise," says Parkes.

The first of its kind in south-east Queensland, the training facility is open to the company’s new and existing franchisees. Including a replica of a Zarraffa’s Coffee outlet, it offers advanced equipment and accredited baristas to teach the fine art of coffee making, behind-the-scenes equipment trouble-shooting and delivering the Zarraffa’s brand of customer service.

Zarraffas Coffee owner and CEO Kenton Campbell, says he is thrilled to be opening the company’s fourth new store for 2008.

"Customer satisfaction, product range and an improvement in service is a direct reflection of the company’s initiative, with the average store turnover at $790,000 per annum," he says.

"The collaboration of franchise owner and Zarraffas is an important relationship, not unlike a marriage. We invest time marrying up locations with the right business owners to ensure a profitable and lengthy alliance. It’s not as simple as just buying a business and working to turn a profit but more a partnership between the franchisee and the franchisor where the two have to fit."

The company will also expand into Hervey Bay, following the opening of the Bargara franchise in July.

"Hervey Bay is a great opportunity for the company to bring its distinctive style of coffee to another locale. Zarraffas is currently looking for the right owner to match to the best location," says Campbell.

Zarraffas was named the fastest-growing franchise in the country in BRW’s annual ‘Fast Franchises’ list in 2007.