Elias, Sam and David Elia are the joint-founders of the burgeoning healthy food franchise, Trios. The story behind the business which is now collectively worth over $10 million, extends back decades. Every second Friday, the brother’s Lebanese mother would have them helping her make authentic flat bread because it couldn’t be bought in supermarkets.
Little did these three brothers know that the flat bread technique they had learnt from a young age would in fact be the lifeblood of their business venture. The three upcoming entrepreneurs put their heads together to create a fast food franchise that offers fresh, healthy and tasty sandwich wraps, trading under the name suggested by their mother – ‘Trios’.
Managing director of Trios, and the youngest of the three brothers, David Elia, said the reason behind the company’s success has been the close partnership between the brothers.
“We always ensure that the decisions affecting the company are made three ways; we all have certain strengths that have complemented each other very well, we are one business and one family” David said.
Trios currently operates 14 stores in Melbourne and recently crossed the border into New South Wales opening its first store at Macarthur Square Shopping Centre in Campbelltown in October last year. Trios has since secured a second Sydney store set to open its doors at the Miranda Westfield Shopping Centre in March 2006 .
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. Hard work, persistence and a bit of risk taking enabled the brothers to establish the Elia Group in 1984 and they have been in the food service industry ever since. Their first café that sold blended juices, European style coffees and fresh sandwiches prepared on flat bread was established in 1985.
The Trios stores operate under the ideal that fast food doesn’t have to be deep fried and full of fat and salt, but instead can be served quickly while still being fresh, tasty and healthy.
According to David, owning a successful Trios franchise is a relatively simple operation that doesn’t require a large number of staff, which in turn paves the way for franchisees to increase their gross profit margin. “All existing stores have experienced continual customer growth and have therefore managed to increase their weekly profit” David said.
“We have also set up the Trios Food Group so franchisees have the opportunity to manage multi-site operations if they chose to expand beyond owning one store.”
“Our vision now is to open 60 stores by the end of 2007 and fast become Australia’s only major healthy food brand to dominate the ‘fresh sandwich market’ with our signature product -The Laffé Wrap” David said.
7-Mar-2006