Sip Fresh founder Sharon Arthofer on building a simple yet innovative franchise

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Sharon Arthofer, founder and CEO of Sip Fresh, an emerging beverage franchise out of Southern California that is serving high-quality, fresh fruit juices in small-footprint locations. Sharon has been in the foodservice business for 30 years, having been one of the first hires by Rick Wetzel and Bill Phelps when they launched Wetzel’s Pretzels in the mid-90s. She later became Wetzel’s first franchisee, and before launching Sip Fresh in 2017, Sharon had built a successful franchise portfolio with multiple brands. Sharon joined the podcast to talk about why she’s homed in on malls as the perfect growth vehicle for Sip Fresh, how her past as a franchisee is informing her present and future as a franchisor, and why coffee chains aren’t the only exciting development in beverage innovation today.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Beverages are the quintessential impulse buy — and malls the quintessential impulse destination
• When marketing in malls, you have only a few moments to make an impression 
• Your frontline staff are revenue generators 
• The beverage category is the perfect intersection of simplicity and innovation
• Strong core values as a franchisor help you manage the expectations of a diversity of franchisees

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at sam.oches@informa.com.