Starbucks is pushing for more franchisees for Seattle’s Best Coffee, one of its subsidiaries, the Seattle Times reported.
Michelle Gass, who was put in charge of the brand last fall, recently hired a vice president of franchise business development, John Wuycheck. Wuycheck previously was employed as a vice president at KLMM’s Hydration Technologies and at Kahala Franchise Corp., which franchises Cold Stone Creamery, Blimpie, Taco Time and others.
Houston-based Hi-Rise Amenities was the first franchisee to sign with Seattle’s Best Coffee (SBC) since it announced its expansion plans last February. Last month, SBC opened a 196-square-foot kiosk in Houston, the first of 10 locations it plans to open in the next five years.
Next month, another new franchisee will open a Seattle’s Best Coffee in Jackson, Miss., and more than 200 participants took part in a recent Webinar the brand held for potential franchisees, a spokesman told the Seattle Times.