Blue Sky Creamery vs Emerald City Smoothie Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Blue Sky Creamery vs Emerald City Smoothie including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Blue Sky Creamery Franchise
Emerald City Smoothie Franchise
Investment $138,750 - $401,000$75,250 - $286,900
Franchise Fee $25,000 - $35,000$15,000 - $25,000
Royalty Fee -6%
Advertising Fee -2%
Year Founded 20002005
Year Franchised 20042005
Term Of Agreement --
Term Of Agreement --
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Blue Sky Creamery Franchise
Emerald City Smoothie Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options
 
Blue Sky Creamery Franchise
Emerald City Smoothie Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees -/--/-
Start-up Costs -/--/-
Equipment -/--/-
Inventory -/--/-
Receivables -/--/-
Payroll -/--/-

Training & Support
 
Blue Sky Creamery Franchise
Emerald City Smoothie Franchise
Training --
Support -* Use of the Emerald City Smoothie brand and all existing and new marketing materials * Assistance with real estate brokers, site selection, lease negotiation and construction based on best practices learned from over 30 store openings * A turn-key system that includes all architectural design, equipment, shelving, graphics, and signage at a reasonable cost * Extensive ECS Experience training for you and one staff member on drink making, developing a customer community, business management and marketing * Grand opening planning and support * "It's my store" customer involvement program * Peer-to-peer problem and solution sharing with other franchise owners * New drink introductions based on successful pilot programs at other franchises * Web presence for easy store location and product and service pre-selection * Periodic, high-return marketing strategies for pilot testing and implementation * Greater buying power for smoothie and health products as a member of our buying cooperative * Periodic visits to assist with general operations, employee training and to help you fine-tune the ECS experience * Analysis of store sales and performance versus system- wide benchmarks
Marketing --
Operations --

Expansion Plans
 
Blue Sky Creamery Franchise
Emerald City Smoothie Franchise
US Expansion --
Canada Expansion --
International Expansion --

Company Overviews

About Blue Sky Creamery

In 2001, TJ and Will successfully demonstrated the Nitro Freeze process with a second-generation prototype at the Iowa State Fair, the Clay County Fair, and the Tulsa State Fair. The second-generation prototype implemented several technology advances improving reliability, ease of use, cleaning, and product quality. In 2002, the concession operation was expanded by adding the Minnesota State Fair. And the first retail location, a new ice cream shop called the Blue Sky Creamery, opened in Ankeny, Iowa. Plans were then completed for a new production model Nitro Freeze machine, the NF-3500. Armed with this new design, the marketing of the machines was launched at the IAAPA trade show in November, in Orlando, Florida.
In 2004, the Blue Sky Creamery Ice Cream Cafe Franchise concept was rolled out and the first franchise store opened in Minnesota. Additional Blue Sky Creamery locations have been opened in West Des Moines, Iowa and St. Louis, MO. Buy Blue Sky Creamery Ice Cream, Gelto and Coffee Online In 2008 and 2009, Blue Sky Creamery had expanded its mobile operations to more than 25 events and started offering Mobile Franchise opportunities. From Miami to Las Vegas to Columbus to Calgary, the Nitro Freeze process has been sweeping the continent! Mobile Franchise have been granted in Eastern Iowa, Wisconsin, Oregon, North Carolina, Phoenix, and Las Vegas so far. In 2009, demand for our ice cream in different parts of the nation led us to offer pints of Blue Sky Creamery ice cream and gelato available online to be shipped right to your door!

About Emerald City Smoothie

If you are looking for a significant franchise opportunity with a low cost of entry and a high upside potential, you may be a great candidate to be an Emerald City Smoothie franchise owner. We've also built our uniqueness beyond the product. We build customer loyalty everyday through: * A personal service philosophy that turns our employees into part of our customer's fitness-support team, which keeps customers coming back, according to the Parker LePla Emerald City Smoothie Customer Study * Supplements for any health goal from weight loss to bulking up * Smoothie recipes that won the "best of" smoothie category in a Seattle poll, featuring a unique blending process that creates a smooth, refreshing, but never-watery, taste * Branding and design that helps draw customers into your stores and makes selection of high-margin add-on products easy. Click here for a virtual tour of one of our world-class locations. * Marketing, training, site selection, and quality control services. Emerald City Smoothie also features all the benefits of franchising including our formula for operating to help avoid many mistakes commonly made by new business owners. Today, one out of every seven dollars spent by Americans for retail goods and services is spent in a franchised or independent product distribution business (source: IFA Franchise Opportunity Guide, p. 31, Fall/Winter 2004). Franchising generates an estimated $1.5 trillion in the U.S. economy annually (source: www.franchise.org/opportunities). The combination of the franchisor's expertise and your hard work create the potential for a strong business. With a franchise, you are in business for yourself, not by yourself!