News

BBI co-brands Smallcakes, FreshBerry

February 14, 2011

Beautiful Brands International has launched its first ever co-branded store in Jenks, Okla., combining Smallcakes Cupcakery with FreshBerry’s lineup of frozen yogurt.

“This is a terrific milestone for BBI and our strategy as a company,” said David Rutkauskas, BBI founder, president and CEO. “Co-branding is a great way to increase sales with the matching of two complementary concepts. We believe it’s an excellent business model for long term growth and a great testing ground for national expansion.”

The new co-branded FreshBerry/Smallcakes store features a shared counter and menu board for guests as well as a small seating area. The launch is part of a franchise deal reached between BBI and Jeff and Brandy Martin, owners of Smallcakes, to franchise and market the brand on a global scale.

Founded in Kansas City in 2008, Smallcakes restaurant bakes 15 kinds of cupcakes each day, each freshly topped with swirls of velvet icing. Pricing at this location per cupcake is $2.89 or $28 for a dozen.

“There’s a definite synergy that takes place when you pair two great brands that have complementary dayparts and are extremely compatible in their design and functional layout,” Rutkauskas said. “We have the ability to effectively increase our appeal with consumers and offer the best of two tastes in essentially the same footprint. That’s a definite winning combination for BBI and any investor looking for a franchise.”