20 Things You Didn't Know About Edible Arrangements

Have you heard about the company Edible Arrangements yet? If not, you're in the right place. They're an American company that offers gifts for all occasions. They specialize in putting together arrangements of fresh fruit in bouquets that resemble flower arrangements and much more. They also offer dipped chocolate strawberries and other delectable treats. Here are 20 things that you didn't know about Edible Arrangements, and they're interesting facts that you'll be glad to learn.

1. They're a creative business

If you are looking for a very special gift for a person who has everything, Edible Arrangements probably has something that will be the perfect choice. They are a very creative group who enjoy making beautiful arrangements and display of fruits and sweets. The gifts are available for all occasions from holidays to birthdays, anniversaries or just because you're thinking of someone. These are one of a kind gifts that you won't be able to find through any other retailer.

2. The company was founded in 1999

Edible Arrangements has been providing beautiful and unique gifts since it was first launched in 1999. The founders of the company are Tariq Farid and Kamran Farid in East Haven, Connecticut. The headquarters for the company is located in Atlanta, Georgia. The CEO is Kyle McCollum.

3. Edible Arrangements operates internationally

This outstanding gift company offers their products for sale in an online format through their website. They serve multiple areas in a variety of different countries throughout the world. In addition to serving their customers in the United States, they also serve Canada, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Italy, Hong Kong, Bahrain, India, Turkey, China and Jordan. The company has become a world-wide sensation.

4. Edible Arrangements is really an art form

When you look at some of the more popular art forms, such as the famous sculptures, you can compare the gifts offered through Edible Arrangements with them. Many of their fruit offerings include pieces which have been skillfully sculpted into a variety of shapes. This is just one of the many features that make them so unique. The gifts offered truly are art in form and the best part about it is that you can eat them all.

5. They offer more than fruits and chocolates

Many people who have seen the commercials for Edible Arrangements on the television only see the beautiful fruits and chocolate dipped strawberries. They look so mouth watering that they're hard to resist, but there is more. They also offer fruit salad and fresh fruit smoothies. With Edible Arrangements, there is a little something for everyone. They're well-worth checking out if there is someone on your gift list who is hard to shop for.

6. They're a multi-million dollar company

Edible Arrangements has enjoyed a 20 year life span and they're still going strong. The company has achieved the remarkable milestone of bringing in $480 million per year in revenues. This is fairly impressive considering the fact that there are just 92 employees working for them. They've come a long way in the two decades that they have been in existence.

7. The first brick and mortar store opened in East Haven, Connecticut

When we looked back over the history of Edible Arrangements, we were surprised to discover that they actually began as a brick and mortar establishment. Their first store opened in East Haven, Connecticut in 1999. They offered their artistic yet edible food arrangements for sale to the public who could walk in, make their selections and go home with their gifts in hand. There was no need to wait for the mail service to deliver their orders.

8. The first franchise opened in Waltham, Massachusetts

It's not surprising that within two years a franchise opened in nearby Massachusetts. The concept for this business was novel and the potential for profits was high. The Fariq's were brilliant for making this an option for expanding the franchise by allowing others to open up stores under the umbrella of the parent company.

9. Edible Arrangements is the creation of two brothers

The co-founders of the company are brothers. The two are brilliant entrepreneurs who designed the computer systems along with the training manuals which would be required for opening a franchise under their brand. They also developed the production and profitability tracking processes along with a system for supply chain management. The concept for franchising Edible Arrangements was launched in 2001.

10. Master franchisee agreements were used for new locations

The Fariq's developed their own system for allowing franchises to be opened under the Edible Arrangements brand name. European franchisees from Italy and Rome singed master franchisee agreements in 2009. They were the first to lead the rush which was followed by franchisees in Hong Kong, owned by Sanja Dujic and in November of 2009, Emre and Kemal Aydin of Turkey signed their agreement and the two planed to open 15 locations throughout the country of Turkey. In total, there were 74 new stores and franchise agreements established in 2009 with a over 85 locations in the United States for the year. By the end of 2009, counting all of the new locations, Edible Arrangements was opened in 940 locations.

11. Some stores had to close

Not every Edible Arrangements location was met with financial success. There were a total of thirty-nine in the United States that didn't make it. These stores closed between 2007 and 2009. This was a period of economic instability in the United States. The housing market was affected and unnecessary spending for most was at an all time low. Some of the franchises found it impossible to make ends meet.

12. Edible Arrangements was on an upswing in 2010

Even though there have been ups and downs for Edible Arrangements, this has been the case for most retailers. They managed to weather tough economic times quite well. In 2010, there was a period of steady and rapid growth for the company. They opened a total of eighty-four new stores in the United States along along with nine new international locations. The brothers received the signed commitments for opening another 123 new locations. Their business was thriving and more popular with the public than ever before.

13. Edible Arrangements became big in the country of India

A successful franchisee Hiten Bajaj made plans to open 20 new stores in India. The plan was to have the Mumbai store as the model for the new locations he planned to build. This was taking expansion of the business to new heights. In addition to this, six more stores opened in Jordan and by the first part of 2011, there were 1,000 franchise agreements signed under the Edible Arrangements company.

14. Edible Arrangements was a top rated company in America

Edible Arrangements built a solid reputation because of their business model and the quality of the products that they offered both in their physical stores and the online gifts that they shipped to customers. They were ranked highly in the 2013 Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list as number 40 out of 100. This means that they outranked 60 of the top 100 companies in the nation.

15. Edible Arrangements is one of the fastest growing franchises in the nation

There are a lot of good things that have been said about the Edible Arrangements company. Prestigious groups bestowed accolades upon them including honorable mentions and first place rankings. They made it to the top global franchise as well as the fastest growing franchises in the nation for several consecutive years from 2007 through 2013. There wasn't a year that went by that the company didn't receive some type of recognition for being truly amazing.

16. Edible Arrangements was recognized by Forbes

Forbes magazine listed Edible Arrangements in their Top 20 Franchises to Start in January of 2011. Out of their list of 100 companies, Edible Arrangements placed number nine. Not only were they among the top twenty, they were in the top ten. On top of this, the company was named by Internet Retailer Magazine as one of the top 100 internet retailers. It seemed that the honors and distinctions would never end. None of these accolades were merely given to them though. The owners all worked hard to make their businesses shine and stand out within their proscribed business model and it was working.

17. Some franchisees filed a lawsuit

Edible Arrangements did have its share of legal trouble. This is fairly common for large companies, especially those that work on a franchise basis. Edible Arrangements took exception with some of the franchisees under its umbrella. There were over 270 franchisees who drafted individual letters to Farid, telling him that they were against certain practices and corporate policies. Their rationale was that the practices and policies were harmful to their businesses under the umbrella. They formed a group called the EAIFA and then they hired a lawyer to represent them should the matter go to court for litigation. The owner was not pleased with their claims either. The group took Fariq to federal court alleging changes made to the franchise agreements violated contractual obligations and that they were unfair. The parent company responded to the claims made and disagreed with the claim. They countered that they would defend their position. Edible Arrangements International even attempted to make a motion to have the case dismissed but this request was denied. The courts never did make a ruling on the case because Edible Arrangements and the EAIFA negotiated their own terms and came to an amicable agreement, settling the case out of court and this put an end to the legal action.

18. They are into sponsorship

Edible Arrangements is also big on sponsoring charity events. The company established a program for charitable gift giving with the National Breast Cancer Research Foundation. They took part in Breast Cancer Awareness month activities every year in the month of October. Canadian and US stores developed a relationship with the Breast Cancer Society and they donate ten percent of the purchase price from certain items to the cause. Part of the funds which are donated by Edible Arrangements are used to help save women's lives by supporting awareness programs and the rest goes towards helping women to get free mammograms as a diagnostic screening. These important medical screening services are made available for needy women who do not have the resources to obtain the testing.

19. Edible Arrangements founder began with a flower shop

It's not surprising that Tariq Farid began the business as a flower shop. The flower business was one that he was very well acquainted with. His parents were owners of a flower shop in East Haven, Connecticut where he and his brother were raised since the time that he was just 11 years old. With a good working knowledge of floral arrangements, Tariq began to wonder what it would be like to use food to create stunning displays. He began experimenting with his ideas when he was just 17 years old. He began cutting fruit into shapes and it wasn't long before he teamed up with his brother Kamran to start their very own business, which would become the now retail giant Edible Arrangements.

20. The Fariqs immigrated to America

The Fariq brothers immigrated to this country when Tariq was just 11 years old. Their parents moved the family to America in search of a life as business owners. They opened their flower shop right after moving here. They set a good example in terms of work ethic and how to build a life in a new country. Their sons were brilliant entrepreneurs who built their business from scratch. They did all of the planning and they did it right. They started from nothing in 1999 with the skills, the drive for success and the talents that they possessed and started out with just one store. Their empire has grown to a massive 1,237 stores in the twenty years that they've been in the business.