GOLDILOCKS FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES

I am posting this because a new GOLDILOCKS FRANCHISE was opened in the City where I am located, and the store have been packed on a daily basis for the past two months. I am guessing this Franchise is profitable, the start capital, however, is almost prohibitive to ordinary folks. Read below for more information.

Put up your own Goldilocks outlet! Goldilocks Bakeshop, Inc. provides almost everything you'll need to successfully run your own Goldilocks shop. We'll give you the name license and trademark, and we'll show you how the Goldilocks business operates.

Your Goldilocks shop can either be a Bakeshop, selling only baked products, or a Full Store, serving both delicious baked goods and scrumptious Pinoy dishes. Bring the freshness and warmth of Goldilocks to your neighborhood with a Goldilocks franchise!

What is the Goldilocks Franchise Agreement?
The Franchise Agreement grants to the franchisee the right to operate a specific Goldilocks Store, at a single address, for a period of 8 years . These rights include the use of Goldilocks trade name and trademarks, proprietary products, store design, signage, and use of Goldilocks methods of operation.

In return the franchisee agrees to operate the business in accordance with the Goldilocks established standards of quality, service, cleanliness and customer service. The franchisee is expected to do his utmost best to operate his store to achieve the fullest potential of the store in terms of profitability and customer delight.

What does Goldilocks look for in a prospective franchisee?
Goldilocks looks for a franchisee applicant with the following characteristics: highly motivated and shares the same values as Goldilocks in terms of commitment to quality and service.
� dedicated to running the business on a full time basis, not as an investor but as a hands-on operator (owner / manager)
� financially capable of meeting the financial requirements.
� with an entrepreneurial drive willing to take calculated risks, and with the strong desire to succeed.
� with business management skills preferably with food or retail experience.
� very good interpersonal relationship skills.
� willing to operate within the Goldilocks system.

How much is the franchise fee?
The franchise fee, which is paid upon the signing of the franchise agreement, is for the rights to use the franchisor�s trademark and business system as well as for the activities at the start of the franchise agreement such as site evaluation , assistance in recruitment and training for the initial store team.

Franchise fee for the Bakeshop is P 800, 000.00 and for the Full Store P1.2 Million.

What is the investment cost for a Goldilocks franchise?
Investment costs will vary depending on the size of the store, the location, type of store and several other factors.

Investment cost for a Bakeshop is estimated at P 6 to 8 Million and for the Full Store at P 10 to 12 Million.

Investment cost will cover the following:

� franchise fee
� lease hold improvements
� delivery vehicle
� operating equipment ./ utensils
� collateral / surety bond
� project management fee
� store launching activities
� POS - Point of Sales System w/ hardware package

Does Goldilocks provide financing?
No, Goldilocks does not provide financing.

How long is the franchise term?
The franchise term is for eight ( 8 ) years.

How much is the royalty fee ?
The royalty fees are paid on a monthly basis for the on going use of the Goldilocks name and systems as well as for the continuing support activities of Goldilocks.
a) Full Bakeshop 4% of total monthly purchases.
b) Foodshop 8% of total monthly gross sales.

How much is the advertising fee ?
The advertising fee is 2% of the total Gross Sales, derived from both Bakeshop and Foodshop and is paid on a monthly basis.

Will training be provided ?
Goldilocks will provide training for one Managing Director, the management team and the crew who must all successfully complete the Store Operations Training Program.

The training for the initial batch of hires will be free of charge but all succeeding training for new employees will be charged.

Training excludes salaries, meal, transportation, lodging cost of the employees and out of pocket expenses of trainers for training activities conducted outside of Metro Manila.

The Franchisee's Managing Director and store crew will also be required to attend trainings during the duration of the franchise term to upgrade their skills.

A Goldilocks Operations Manual will also be provided for reference purposes and will be updated as needed.

Will Goldilocks provide the manpower to operate the store?
Goldilocks will assist the franchise in the recruitment of its team free of charge for the initial store team but recruitment cost will be charged for succeeding hires.

The store personnel will be directly hired by the franchisee and will be responsible for their salaries and benefits.

Who looks for the location?
When you apply for a Goldilocks franchise, you may propose a site location, together with an initial market study of the proposed site which will include the foot and vehicular count, competitive business establishments, and demographics (area profile). Our site Selection Department will assess the site and validate the market study.

What are the required sizes of the store space?
a) for Bakeshop - Minimum of 60 - 80 Square Meters
b) for Full Store - Minimum of 150 - 250 Square Meters

Is there a standard store design?
Yes, there is a standard Goldilocks store design, lay-out, equipment and facilities requirements for each type of store.

What continuing support will I receive?
On going support includes regular in-store visits to help you identify areas of improvement, assistance in the development of marketing and customer relations programs and activities, new operating procedures, and much more.

What will my return in investment be?
Although the brand name of Goldilocks is a strong sales inducing factor, the amount of money a franchisee can expect to make will greatly depend on the ability of the franchisee to manage the business , drive sales volume and control operating costs.

Is there a territorial or area exclusivity?
Goldilocks does not grant territorial exclusivity. Stores may be situated depending on market and customer needs.

How can I apply for a franchise in the Philippines?

1)Download and print a copy of the following forms. Fill out completely.

Franchise Inquiry Form (Pages 1 to 13)

2) Prepare the following :

� Letter of intent with complete information containing exact address of proposed site, your mailing address, contact numbers.
� Vicinity map of proposed site with nearby establishments indicated.
� Legal document of site ownership ( if applicant owns it )
� Detailed resume or bio-data

3) Mail these documents to:

Goldilocks Bake Shop, Inc.
Franchise Relations Department
439 Shaw Blvd.
Mandaluyong City

Or email us at :
lin.deres@goldilocks.com.ph

I am interested in selling Goldilocks products or applying for a franchise in other countries . Where can I ask for more information?
For more information on foreign franchising please Click here.

How to grow orchids in culture bottles

by Ellaine Grace L. Nagpala

Orchids are among the popular cutflowers in the world. It has become the object of attention of many cutflower growers as it captures an element of beauty through its complexities and elegantly formed sepals. Different species of orchids are used widely in flower arrangements, corsage making, and as collection specimens for the hobbyists. One orchid genus, Vanilla, is commercially important as it is used as the source of the vanilla food flavoring. Through the years, with the development of new orchid species, the world-wide demand for orchids has rocketed giving the cutflower a high market value.

As a high-value crop, orchids are seen as good source of profit in the world-wide market. In the country, during the 1970's, several commercial nurseries were established to meet to growing demand of the domestic and international market. Key production area for orchids expanded in Laguna, Batangas, Cebu, Negros Occidnetal, Davao city, and South Cotabato.

Eventually, many important hybrids of orchids from different genera such as Vanda, Renanthera, Phalaenopsis, Vandopsis, Paphiopedilum, and Aerides were propagated through different means, including tissue culture.

Tissue and embryo culture technology

Tissue culture is the technique used in culturing plant parts that result in mass production of desirable varieties. High-value crops such as banana, garlic, and macapuno are being mass-propagated through this technique. Aside from producing a large number of planting materials in a short period of time, tissue culture is the technique utilized in producing virus-free planting material, hence, ensures the growth with minimal losses from incidence of virus-caused disease. The technique is also used in the propagation of valuable plants that do not breed true-to-type by seed propagation. This means that whatever good traits the mother plant has will also be manifested in its clones.

In essence, the technique involves the propagation of plant parts with actively dividing cells in an artificial environment where they can continuously divide and form cell clusters identical with the mother plant. Active buds, roots, stems, shoot tip, leaf/flower/fruit part, embryo and meristem are some of the plant parts (also called explants) used in micropropagation. These explants are detached from a mother plant.

Depending on what type of explants used, the technique of tissue culture can be further classified as plant culture, embryo culture, organ culture, callus culture, protoplast culture, or meristem culture.

Orchids possess minute seeds devoid of endosperm to nourish the embryo. This endosperm nourishes the embryo in the form of starch which keeps the seeds alive. With the endosperm lacking in the seeds of orchids, the embryo must be cultured in an artificial medium containing the necessary nutrients it requires for growth and development.

An underlying principle in all tissue culture techniques applies the same for all, and that is performing the technique under sterile or aseptic condition. Under aseptic conditions, microbial contamination of the culture that could cause infection is minimized. This is the first step in achieving a successful embryo culture in orchids.

The process

The process of embryo culture can be divided into two parts: first is the preparation of the medium where the embryos will be cultured and the second is the actual culture of the embryos.

The components of the culture medium include inorganic nutrients that are essential for the plant to complete its life cycle, such as sugar, vitamins, amino acid, organic supplement such coconut water, growth regulators, agar as a gelling agent, and other supplements that are deemed necessary. In the case of orchids, the Knudson medium is being utilized as it is specially formulated for the embryo culture of orchids.

The actual embryo culture proceeds after the preparation of the medium. To achieve an aseptic condition, the inoculation chamber is disinfected by spraying 80 percent ethyl alcohol on the surface where the whole process will be performed.

An orchid pod which contains the seeds of the orchid is secured and rubbed with 95 percent ethyl alcohol for preliminary sterilization. Inside the chamber, the whole pod will be dipped in a bottle 1/3 full of 95 percent ethyl alcohol for 3 to 5 seconds with the aid of a scalpel and forceps. The pod, after being dipped in an ethyl alcohol, will be flamed at least thrice until the alcohol on the surface has evaporated. Such series of steps are performed to ensure that the surface of the pod is free from contaminants.

After the surface sterilization, the pod is sectioned on a sterile petri dish with the aid of sterile forceps. Once the pod has been opened, thousands of orchid ovule will be revealed. The ovules will be carefully scraped off from the pod with the use of scalpel and will be carefully dropped into the bottle of the culture medium. Once the ovules have settled inside, the bottle will be covered tightly with cotton plugs and will be placed in a cool and well-lighted place. Tissue culture laboratories usually have their own designated shelves for the newly cultured embryo.

Signs of successful germination in the embryo culture of orchid are when the orchid seeds start to swell and turn green. Sooner, the embryo becomes bigger and assumes the shape of a top. At this point, the structure is no longer an embryo, but a protocorm. At this stage, the protocorms are ready for reflasking. The protcorms will be transferred from one culture bottle to another with the use of a spatula. Reflasking is necessary since this will provide room for further growth and development for the protocorms. Four to eight months after reflasking, the protocorms will become bigger and ready to be planted out of the culture bottle for potting.

Just like any process, this technique requires skills in performing the media preparation and culture, and knowledge, especially on stages of development of embryo.

More orchids to come

The Philippines is home to at least 941 species of the cultivated 20,000-35,000 orchid species in the world. The diverse species of orchids in the country suggest a promising future of the orchid industry.

In 2003, orchids ranked third in terms of production volume in the country with 2,487 metric tons. Meanwhile, 1996 data on cutflowers show that orchids were being exported in Japan and Italy with a total 0.41 percent share from the other four major cutflowers exported to other countries.

The potential of the country in cutflower production development is evident with the availability of appropriate technology, particularly tissue culture. With this technology, multitudes of virus-free orchids can be propagated in no time, enabling us to respond to the high demand for orchids in the domestic and export market as well.

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Sources:

Naranja, LR. 2005. The Development of Sustainable Commercial Floriculture Industry in the Philippines. Country paper presented at the Seminar on the Development of Sustainable Commercial Floriculture held in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Rimando, TJ. 2001. Ornamental Horticulture: A Little Giant in the Tropics. SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Baños.
Rosario, TL. 2001. Laboratory Manual in Ornamental Horticulture. University of the Philippines Los Baños.
Rosario, TL. “Cutflower production in the Philippines.” Cutflower production in Asia 1998.