Sweetest Serbian franchise - Belgrade-based Adore Chocolate conquers Europe with pralines

Their black chocolate with dried sour cherries is "wrapped in" Belgrade, while their pralines are part of the gifts given by the Serbian President to the guests from abroad. Among the most exotic handmade candies in Adore workshop are those with golden particles, chili, pepper, ginger, rose, cinnamon, green tea and maraschino liquor. The Belgrade-based manufacturer keeps over 50 recipes secret, while Belgian fine chocolate represents the basic ingredient in all of them. The first candies in Mirjana Kostic's workshop were made in 2002 when the history of production of pralines in Serbia started. Today, Adore Chocolate is a widely known brand and its products are unique in the Balkans.

Original flavors, quality ingredients, unusual design and good business strategy ensured the penetration into the markets of regional countries for this company, while its mid-term plan is to conquer the market of Austria. As Chairman of the Adore Chocolate Managing Board Aleksandar Maric told eKapija, that company has decided to expand the retail network abroad by granting franchises, while the new business concept was introduced four years ago.

- We decided for the franchise business concept in 2006 when the first franchise unit was opened in Belgrade. The success of its operations is confirmed by the fact that consumers do not recognize it as a franchise unit. We are now focused on selection of partners for penetration into foreign markets because we plan to finance the development of the network in Serbia from our own sources. Adore Chocolate has a workshop and two stores in Belgrade and a distribution center in Novi Sad. Our plan for the next year is to open a store in Ljubljana and a store in Croatia, most probably in Zagreb or Istra. We also plan to enter the markets of Romania and Bulgaria later. Our primary goal is to conquer the market of Austria within next five years, which would help us in fulfillment of our plans related to the markets of Germany and France - said Maric.

As he explained, Adore Chocolate offers potential franchisees a recognizable brand, well-developed and tested business system, trainings for promoted and other employees, marketing and management support to the concept development, years-long experience, assistance in equipping of stores and website design, financial consulting. The amount of investment required for opening an Adore Chocolate franchise is estimated at about 25,000 euros.

- That amount is needed to start the business and it includes the costs of equipping, renovating and furnishing an outlet, necessary training in products and the method of sale, first filling, promotion occasioned by opening of the store. The ideal size of the store is about 20 square meters. The list of the necessary equipment is quite long, but I would like to mention the most important item on that list - a showcase for chocolate.

The interlocutor of eKapija points out that partners in a foreign market make decisions by themselves on retail prices, depending on the purchasing power, competition and other parameters. Retail prices in the domestic market are the same in all facilities. Franchisees get up to 45% of rebate.

- Since our pralines can stay on shelves for up to 30 days, due to their specific contents, the delivery is organized in the way that foreign partners receive products two or three days old. That leaves them with enough time to sell them to consumers.

Chocolate - Divine Drink

Handmade pralines and chocolate products made by Adore Chocolate do not contain preservatives, additives, artificial aromas, or vegetable fat. Black chocolate contains minimum 70% of dry cocoa, while milk chocolate contains minimum 40.5%. Thanks to their specific contents, Adore pralines can stay on shelves for 30 days, while the life of chocolate bars is 180 days.

- We produce over 50 flavors of pralines and six kinds of chocolate bars, one of which is the official sweet souvenir of Belgrade. Handmade black chocolate with cherries, named BG ČO-KO, is recognized as the best sweet souvenir of the city of Belgrade. What makes BG ČO-KO unique is the packaging because it is wrapped in a map of Belgrade. Each ingredient for our products is carefully chosen. Chocolate and nougat are imported from Belgium, and we also import top-quality cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Other ingredients are supplied by renowned manufacturers in the country or importers.

People at Adore Chocolate say that numerous researches show that chocolate contains antioxidants that stimulate cleaning of the organism from free radicals that cause various diseases. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, which is a natural medicine against depression, and theobromine, which causes a good mood and the feeling of happiness. As people at this Belgrade-based company explain, chocolate, which was considered by the Aztecs as a divine drink, is best served with coffee and red wine.

T.S.