FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR CREMA ESPRESSO

THE steamy Gold Coast is emerging as Australia’s new coffee capital with Crema Espresso the latest to make an aggressive push into the national market.

The company, which started with a single Gold Coast outlet in 2007, is planning to open its 16th franchise store this year.

It joins the likes of Zarraffa’s Coffee and listed multi-franchise owner Retail Food Group among home-grown coffee successes.

Managing director Antony Forbutt has credited much of the company’s growth to the national stage offered by the Gold Coast every day of the year.

“Visitors from interstate come to the Gold Coast daily and when they have their first Crema Espresso experience they often say to us ‘when are you going to open in my city or town’, and that has helped fuel our national expansion,” he says.

“The Gold Coast is unique in its ability to reach a market far beyond its geographical boundaries.

“With so many people from interstate owing homes or holidaying here, the Crema Espresso experience quickly became known across the country.”

Crema Espresso now has nine stores on the Gold Coast is ramping up plans to create a national footprint.

“We are a Gold Coast success story in that we started here and from humble beginnings we have continued to grow and expand,” Forbutt says.

“Now there is recognition of our brand and what it delivers to the customer across the country.

“We are very proud of what we have done so far, but there’s even more exciting plans for the future.”

The company recently opened its first interstate store in Sydney's Westfield Parramatta shopping centre after strong demand from customers who discovered Crema Espresso on the Gold Coast.

"Since franchising the brand in 2007, we have continued to expand on the Gold Coast and opened two other stores elsewhere in Queensland and one in Sydney, and have several more in the pipeline due for launch in 2014," Forbutt says.

He says Crema Espresso’s franchise operations have experienced increases in turnover of more than 25 per cent in January, February and for the October-December quarter.

The group has experienced double digit-growth each year over the past three years.