The history of
Trios extends back decades, when the Lebanese-born mother of founders, Elias, Sam and David Elia would have the brothers helping her in the kitchen every second Friday to make authentic flat bread, because it couldn't be bought in supermarkets.
Little did these three brothers foresee that the flat bread technique they had learnt from a young age would in fact be the lifeblood of their business venture; to create a fast food franchise that offers fresh, healthy and tasty
sandwich wraps, trading under the name suggested by their mother – 'Trios'.
But the success of Trios hasn't come dished up on a silver platter. The Elia family came from a very modest background, arriving from Lebanon in 1966 with not much to their name. The brothers began operating their first café in 1985, and were at the forefront of Melbourne's café society in 1991.
"We've certainly come a long way since we used to help our mother make our family's flat bread by hand and wait anxiously while it was baking so we could have a piece with Vegemite smeared all over it."
Sixteen years after they took that first daring step into the world of food service, the brothers put their heads together to develop a sandwich style of flat bread that wasn't as dense and high in fat as other typical sandwich breads were. After months of research and development they had created their own style of flat bread and signature product, the Laffe (pronounced: Laf : fay), that was low in fat and salt and high in fibre.
In 2001 the secret behind the brother's burgeoning franchising success story, the Laffe Bread was developed in three different styles, white-linseed, wholemeal and sourdough, to suit different tastes and dietary requirements.
"There's an art to making the perfect Laffe WrapsTM sandwich," says MD David Elia, "We ensure that they have just the right balance of bread and fillings so that the focus is primarily on the gourmet fillings and dressings."
The Elia brothers are confident Australians want a fast and healthy lunch alternative and say their Laffe WrapsTM sandwiches are destined to be the next big thing in the takeaway market.
"People are searching for tasty, healthy and nutritious, all natural food options," Mr Elia said, "They want a guilt-free alternative that is still convenient, portable and just as tasty as other fast food options. There are over 30 meal choices on Trios' menu with a variety of fillings and world inspired flavours for the Laffe WrapsTM".
"Our vision now is to open 150 stores by the end of 2008 and fast become Australia's only major healthy food brand to dominate the 'fresh sandwich' market with our signature product -The Laffe WrapsTM," Mr Elia said.
So in Trios case, the point of difference (other than convenience and health) is an ethnic product with a story behind it, which you cannot get elsewhere. The existence of a set menu might well be a reflection of the cafe market.
As more players enter the sandwich market, as seems likely, it will be fascinating to see how each positions in a commercial environment offering plenty of room.
24-Jul-2007