Franchisee’s Journey Leads to Culinary Innovation

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IFA’s @OurFranchise campaign speaks with Stefan Pickerel, who started out as a franchisee for the Spice & Tea Exchange before transitioning to a role as corporate chef for the brand.

By Radim Dragomaca
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Meet Stefan Pickerel — franchisee, chef, spice blender and now the corporate chef for the Spice & Tea Exchange. Stefan’s journey holds some important lessons for franchisees and franchisors across the industry. Stefan’s culinary background and passion for hands-on education inspired his entry into the world of franchising, and an ongoing drive to improve his products and customer experience led to the opportunity to take his ideas across the franchise system.
 
Chef Stefan spent the early part of his career travelling the world, and in his visits to more than 65 countries, acquired a deep appreciation and knowledge of diverse flavor profiles. When several friends kept persistently insisting that he visit the local Spice & Tea Exchange because they thought he’d love it, he finally gave in and sure enough, his friends were right. Stefan’s experience in the food industry and the company’s emphasis on unique proprietary blends and a hands-on customer experience was the perfect match.
 
Future franchisees — take note! Chef Stefan and his partner did their due diligence to find out if this brand was right for them, embarking on a cross country road trip, visiting every Spice & Tea Exchange location in the country. “We needed a long vacation anyway, so we took this eight-month road trip across the country with our dog, and spoke to every one of these franchisees,” he recalls. The passion shared between the individual owners as well as the franchisor confirmed to Stefan that this was the brand for him, and he opened his first location. He now co-owns both the San Francisco and Portland locations, and his next stop is taking his ideas for the company nationwide.
 
Eager to push the boundaries of the Spice & Tea Exchange’s potential, Chef Stefan approached the franchisor with ideas for new recipes, instructional videos and connecting the brand’s spices to easy dishes that customers could, with a bit of help, make themselves. The franchisor loved the idea. “Chef Stefan is not only extremely knowledgeable about flavor profiles, but also one of our most enthusiastic in-store educators,” said CEO Amy Freeman. “He was the perfect candidate for the corporate chef role to help inspire our system.’”
 
In many ways, Stefan’s story with the Spice & Tea Exchange captures the essence of what makes the franchising business model so great. His story is that of an individual uniquely prepared to be the perfect match for a creative and innovative brand that’s all about flavor. His road trip, family and dog and all, represents more than just due diligence — it’s getting to know a brand from the grassroots up. A franchisor willing to reward innovation, ambition and creativity is a necessary ingredient in Chef Stefan’s story, which in many ways is only beginning. In his new position as corporate chef, he’ll be able to take big ideas beyond a couple of stores in San Francisco and Portland, and will be taking those big ideas about flavors, recipes and immersive customer experiences nationwide.  
 
Radim Dragomaca is the Associate Editor of Franchising World and Publishing and Government Relations Consultant for the International Franchise Association.
 

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