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BOCA RATON BUSINESS JOURNAL |
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February 23, 1998 |
| COVER STORY Frosty "Fruitfull®" bars bring home business By Allison Governale, Business Editor
Linda Kamm was a college student planning to become a sports broadcaster when she first found fame as the winner of the "Miss Georgia" beauty pageant in 1977. She competed in only three contests, including "Miss U.S.A." and she never went into broadcasting. Instead she went to work in the marketing department of a frozen fruit bar manufacturer. Although she loved the treats, she was looking for something more. "I knew we could do better," Kamm said. The new low fat, low calorie frozen bar emerged after two years of research. "And they contain large chunks of real fruit. In the Passionate Cherry bar there might be four or five big, whole cherries," she said. The company now distributes bars in 16 flavors through more than 100 franchises in 36 states and Puerto Rico. And Kamm has control of her trademark and her supplies. Kamm sells the franchises, depending on the size, from $18,422 to $40,161+.Linda Kamm
But the most interesting thing about the franchise business is that the franchisees have fun. Their product is sold from carts that are provided by Kamm’s company, and generally the carts are placed in the food concessions in local companies, Kamm said. Sometimes, however, the person who owns the franchise will take a cart to local festival events and sell the bars in person. "It can be fun," she said. Kamm expects to bring several new products to the franchises this year, she said. And by the end of the year, she expects to sell more than 7 million bars. |
Happy & Healthy Products, Inc.