Monday, January 26, 2009

Tom & Angela
Nap ier
Emerald City Smoothie franchisee
Mercer Island & Redmond Ridge
Tom Napier, along with his wife, Angela,
opened two Emerald City Smoothie stores last
year on Mercer Island and in Redmond Ridge.

One of the areas Tom Napier investigated
before joining Emerald City was the background
of the company’s ownership. It turns
out that Jim Baskett, Emerald City’s president
and CEO, bought the health drink enterprise
in 2005 after being a loyal customer for many
years. Baskett also used to be an executive
with local timeshare company, Trendwest Resorts,
which was sold to homebuilding giant,
Cendant, for nearly $900 million in 2002.

That track record and level of personal
attachment to the franchise convinced Napier
that he was in good managerial hands. The
smoothie shops cost around $200,000 to
open, including franchise fees.

Napier also ran the business plan for his
franchises by his Smith Barney financial advisor
and his attorney before signing up. Tom and
Angela intend to open two additional Emerald
City stores—one this year and another in 2008.

The best advice Tom got while talking with
other existing franchisees, he says, was to take
only “A” locations. He says franchisees also
verified company claims that 60 percent of
customers stop in four times a week or more.

“I was amazed at the amount of repeat
customers,” he says. —C.T.

Phoenix, AZ: In the news

'Being well:' Emerald City a wonderful
land of smoothies
Colleen Sparks
The Arizona Republic
May. 4, 2007 01:38 PM

I will do just about anything to avoid the congestion and sore throat that made me sound
like one of Marge Simpson's cranky sisters on The Simpsons for several days last week.
And I'm always up for trying something sweet, so I stopped by Emerald City Smoothie,
4206 E. Chandler Blvd., to look for a tasty, medicinal treat this week.

I felt like a kid in a candy store looking at all the delicious-sounding smoothies with fresh
fruit, chocolate, peanut butter and other ingredients made to taste like banana cream pie,
mocha coffee and even peanut butter and jelly.

I sampled a peanut butter and jelly smoothie that tasted better than anything I've ever
made in my kitchen (which isn't saying much, I must admit).

New owners Scott and Lilly Simpson (no relation to Homer and his family) and former
manager Heila Jefferson hooked me up with a "berry, berry" smoothie with blueberries
and an immunity boost that has lots of vitamins I don't have in my kitchen. All I know is
it tasted good, boosted my energy and came in a size big enough for breakfast and lunch.
I'll definitely try smoothies again as a way to wake up in the morning, grab a quick snack
when I get busy or to keep me healthy so I can get off the couch and avoid watching
reruns of The Simpsons.

Emerald City Smoothie in Chandler, Arizona is open from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday
through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. (480) 706-4900.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Last Newsletter of '08

Did You Know

Did you know that 60% of Americans don’t get the minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables every day! Don’t let this happen to you or your family; visit your local Emerald City Smoothie and try any number of our smoothie selection. We even have a smoothie with vegetables! Try out Beta Boost for your daily dose of beta-carotene; it only has 320 calories.

Did you also know that 50% of American women are deficient in calcium! This is outrageous, especially because insufficient calcium intake can lead to osteoporosis. Emerald City Smoothie is here to help. Visit any Emerald City Smoothie location and get a calcium boost added to your smoothie. This is an easy, inexpensive way to make sure your bones stay strong.

Ready, Set, Read!

“Beauty…is about your health and happiness.”

Synopsis of You Being Beautiful:
In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz bust the myths and stereotypes about the way we view ourselves-and how we define beauty. In these pages, you'll find out why beauty isn't as much about your vanity as it is about your humanity. The doctors take a scientific, informative, and entertaining look at the three levels of beauty and explain how they all work together to form a complete, and authentic YOU.”

From hair to toenails, they go through every part of your body to explain how different foods, vitamins, creams, gels, and injections can really boost your looks. They scrutinize the beauty myths that bombard us every day and offer an unbiased perspective on which ones cause more harm than good. You will be able to revamp your beauty regimen (or start a new one from scratch).[1]

Here are just a few health tips from the book:

- You need B vitamins for your mitochondria -- the parts of your cells that turn food into energy

- Green tea has been shown to have the highest content of polyphenols, which are chemicals with potent antioxidant properties.

-Give your skin a boost with vitamins A, C, E and B3 & B5

You can find several of these vitamins in an Emerald City Smoothie such as, Sambazon with antioxidants, Quick Start with Vitamins C and B5, and the Zip Zip with Bee Sure, which contains Spirulina, bee pollen, ginseng and whey protein which all work together to keep your immune system healthy and energy high.


Health Tip


Five unhealthy work habits to kick before they get you down!

Shape’s December issue gave readers five important health tips they can take to the office. Imagine all of the germ infested staplers, fax machines and printers you come in contact with at work that have the ability to make you sick or harm you physically. Since people are spending more time than ever before in the office, here are some ways you can protect yourself.

1. Your service light never goes out. You are constantly on call for work and never get a moment to yourself. This can indeed cause high levels of stress, which increases the level of cortisol in your system. Cortisol affects your heart rate, blood pressure and muscles. Although in some situations this can help get us through an emergency, chronic stress puts you at risk for diabetes, heart disease and depression.

To make sure you don’t stress yourself out with work, Shape suggests creating an end-of-the-day ritual. It can be as small as listening to your favorite song to get out of work mode and in to home mode or turning your blackberry off for an hour. Just take some time to decompress.

2. You keep to yourself. “Having a close friend in the office makes you more content and productive.” Work doesn’t just affect your life while at work but every part of it.
Make sure you don’t become depressed or unhappy with your job by grabbing some gossip time but keep it about issues outside of work like what you did that weekend or plans for the evening.

3. Your desk is a jungle. Not with paperwork or dirty coffee mugs, but with germs! This can easily make you sick especially during cold season when you are more at risk.
Wipe down this mess a few times a week. Including your keyboard, mouse and anything else you touch on a regular basis. This will help kill germs and kick a potential cold.

4. Your cubicle mate sneezes nonstop. Did you know that 80% of colds are caused by touching an infected surface!To protect yourself, skip handshakes by telling people you just got over the flu. This is an easy fix and you don’t offend anyone. Other things you might try are exercising regularly and eating healthy food. Try Emerald City Smoothie’s Beta Boost with carrot juice and vitamins or the Eternal Energizer with cold fighting antioxidants.

5. You only have eyes for the screen. The computer screen that is. Fixing your eyes in an up-close position for long periods of time can cause harm. You can put yourself at risk of developing “dry, burning eyes; headaches; blurred vision; and sensitivity to light.” This can eventually lead to other more serious problems like impaired vision.

You can decrease your chances of pore eye sight by limiting excess light that is straining on your eyes. Use lamps instead of overhead lights and position your monitor away from the window to rid yourself of excess glare. You can even take a break as simple as reminding yourself to blink or look away from the computer screen. [1]


Customer Feedback

Mairead from Seattle blogged: “My post-workout secret. Zip Zip! Zip Zip is a banana, apple, spirulina, soy smoothie. Elevated to perfection with Bee Sure, a super food boost. It revs up the metabolism, balances out the body's protein needs, and tastes like honey. They offer high-cal and low-cal smoothies in a zillion different flavors with tons of boosters. And it’s just plain fun to end a workout saying, “I'd like a Zip Zip please.” ”

Thanks Mairead. We’ll Bee Sure to keep more great smoothies coming your way! Don’t forget you can add this great tasting super food to any smoothie!

[1] Barnes & Nobles, from http://search.barnesandnoble.com/You-Being-Beautiful/Michael-F-Roizen/e/9781416572343


[2] Shape Magazine, retrieved from http://www.shape.com/healthy_living/your_health/work_life.html

Thanks to those of you who subscribed to our newsletter in 2008. We appreciate it! For more helful hints and information on what's to come from Emerald City Smoothie join our newsletter at http://www.emeraldcitysmoothie.com/newsletters.php

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Emerald City Smoothie Franchise Opportunities

Emerald City Smoothie
When it comes to smoothies, meal alternatives and nutritional supplements, Emerald City Smoothie stands for everything that is fresh, healthy, nourishing and flavorful. Through cutting edge nutrition, superior quality and caring service, we are committed to enhancing the everyday lives of our customers by offering nutritionally dense, custom blended smoothies. Our unique blending method and the use of the best ingredients available creates loyal customers that, on average, visit our locations 3 to 5 times a week.

We are committed to smoothies, meal alternatives and nutritional supplements that match the needs of our customers. High quality, which won’t be compromised for the price, matched with superior flavor and consistency.


Our two-in-one business model sets us apart from the competition. We are a smoothie bar and retail store that sells healthy snacks, sport nutrition, supplements and vitamins.


Growing Category – Smoothies are the fast food for the 21st century
Smoothies are a $2.5 billion food category Growing up to 20 percent per year Analysts predict sales volumes to double every 3-4 years Healthy eating, smoothie meal replacement is a trend, not a fad


Growing System─100 + Stores
Expanding Nationwide from a large base in Seattle, WA Opening new locations every month
Great Opportunities Still Available in many states and metro areas


Extensive Help - Setup, Training and Support Guidance with site location & demographic analysis
Turn key store construction options
Custom designed store layouts and colors Detailed training programs and Grand Opening Support
Assistance with marketing & promotion


Emerald City Advantages

Menu Designed for a lifestyle – menu categories for goals and lifestyle. Over 40 smoothie options available.

Weight Watcher point assignment for all smoothies.

Established relationship with national food service provider to maximize buying power and service

Healthy Alternative to Fast Food – customers know every calorie they eat.

Easy meal on the go for the busy professional, active family, etc.

Premium Quality – Fresh Fruit, Best Ingredients

Loyal customers who visit 3 to 5 times per week – some twice a day

75% of current franchise owners were customers first

Ease of operation and management

Multiple Unit Opportunities Available.

Kiosk Opportunities Available

Make a Difference in People’s Lives – every day

Call us today to set up a meeting or simply visit our website at www.emeraldcitysmoothie.com/about_franchise.php for information on franchise opportunities.