Ethnic Food Retailer Churro Station Taps Into Sweet Franchise Business
Posted on: 19/12/2006
Light and fluffy treats franchise helps build Latino economic community.Zoila Aldana and Melanie Farkas are expanding their ethnic food retail business after customers repeatedly asked if their business could be franchised. The original premise of Churro Station was a simple one – to offer the best tasting churros in Northern California, but with such high demand for the ethnic food concept, Churro Station will be opening three franchises based in Southern and Northern California.
According to the research group Global Information, Inc., “The growing Hispanic population is exerting a profound cultural effect upon the U.S. as a whole, and consumers from many regions and ethnic backgrounds have developed a craving for "el sabor Latino." As their palates become fluent in Spanish, consumers are moving beyond Mexican to explore a host of Hispanic foods and flavours.”
Mrs. Farkas and Mrs. Aldana have tapped into their customers’ palettes: Latino and non-Latinos who crave the churro flavour and who want to explore beyond their taste profile borders. In fact, ethnic food sales are also rising at a rate of 5% in the US while ethnic foods now account for 11.8% of all retail food sales in the U.S.
Churro Station’s beginnings, located in San Rafael, California, began with Melanie Farkas’ first bite into her a churro during a vacation in Mexico. Enchanted by the delicious and unique treat, she spent the next 20 years searching for the best churro throughout Mexico and Spain. Churros, the light and crispy cousin of the American doughnut, are a national symbol of Spain and Latin America and are now being sold at American ball parks and county fairs throughout the U.S. “Whether churros have become popular because of nostalgia or just because they taste delicious, they are now a part of the California food landscape,” claims Farkas.
Before Mrs. Farkas opened the ‘churrería’, she and Zoila Aldana, Chief Operating Officer and her long time close friend, spent a year researching recipes and state-of-the-art equipment to produce the most delicious and authentic churro. Today, Churro Station also serves their regular walk-in customers tostadas and sandwiches for lunch – Mrs. Aldana’s response to customer demand. Her attention to customer feedback has also earned her the title ‘The Churro Lady’ amongst the Marin county locals.
With growing the business in mind, Mrs. Farkas responded to other customer requests: where to find other Churro Stations and how they might start their own churro business. While the churros are exceptional, the two business partners also want to reach out to Latinos to be a positive force in their economic development. The two women decided to reach out to these entrepreneurs and offer Churro Station as a franchise. As it turns out, the first franchise owners are Latino.
Three new Churro Stations franchises will open in Oakland, Anaheim and Santa Ana, California. Oakland franchise owner, Mrs. Jesenia Del Cid exclaims: “I’ve always wanted to have my own business and this is the perfect one. I can live, work, and serve in my own community and my family can be involved. I have always wanted a family business that will give us all financial stability. This is a great business!”
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