Franchise coffee chain Gloria JeanÕs Coffees has an export hero in its midst. For more than a decade the brandÕs executive chairman and co-founder, Nabi Saleh, has helped oversee the expansion of a fast growing franchise and was this week honoured as an Australian Export Hero by the Australian Institute of Export.

Awards were presented by the Hon. Simon Crean MP, Minister for Trade, at a presentation dinner at Parliament House.

The award recognises the contribution made by industry leaders to the development of AustraliaÕs export image on the world stage, through their outstanding careers, organisations and industries.

One of only six recipients for 2009, Saleh attributes the acknowledgement to the efforts of Gloria JeanÕs Coffees expert international support team and enthusiastic master franchise partners.

“We are very humbled by this honour, which is the result of the hard work and ingenuity of our dedicated team and showcases Gloria JeanÕs Coffees not only as a coffee exporter, but also a leading exporter of franchise systems internationally,” Saleh said.

“It is also a testament to our international master franchise partners who have worked with us to build the brand in 35 markets around the world so far.”

Earlier this year the US Gloria Jean’s Coffees franchise operations which had remained a separate business from the Australian owned network was bought out and integrated into the global chain.

Gloria JeanÕs Coffees now has 917 coffee houses in 35 countries across the globe, such as Turkey, Malaysia, Mexico and Poland, and has continued to grow internationally, opening nine new markets in the last year alone including China and India.

The coffee franchise has also won a number of export awards including the ÔWestern Sydney Exporter of the YearÕ at the 2007 NSW PremierÕs Export Awards and the PricewaterhouseCoopers ÔFranchise Export of the YearÕ in 2007. The company was also named the Ô2006 International Franchisor of the YearÕ by the Franchising & Licensing Association Singapore.