(Food-Beverage-News.Com, August 07, 2014 ) McMinnville, OR --- It all started with an addictive twist on an America classic that became a local sensation. Nine years later, Niki Durig of Portland, Ore., has her eyes on creating a national franchise that would share her dessert and opportunity with the country.
It’s Sweet Apple Pie Fries!™
“We take Granny Smith apples, cut them into thin slices, hand batter them, fry them, dust them in cinnamon and sugar, then serve them with whipped cream and caramel,” explained Durig. “People love them. We’ve sold them at fairs, festivals, carnivals and many other events in the Northwest.
“We recently finished filming with the Food Network Channel and have received many invitations to big shows.”
Durig got the idea for Sweet Apple Pie Fries!™ when she was seven months pregnant, in a bad relationship and looking for a way to take care of herself and two young children as a single mother. The recipe, she said, “came to her in a dream after asking God to show her a way to provide for herself and her little ones”.
“I never thought it would become this popular,” she said, “but we have so many fans in the Northwest, and calls pouring in from all over the country asking if we can do this in their area after seeing our treats on Facebook. It’s amazing! Because of this, it’s become our vision is to make Sweet Apple Pie Fries!™ a household name and take it across the country.”
That is going to take time, effort and – most of all – money. Durig has done the research and in order to create a successful national franchise, she needs funding for uniformed branding, operation manuals, market research and materials, legal filings, a prototype vending unit, franchise documents and sales training. The total tab comes to about $250,000.
“The demand for growth became so much that we realized we had a decision to make,” Durig said. “Do we take on the whole country with a corporate route and sell the concept to a large company? Or do we give this amazing opportunity back to our fans with the option to rock their own Sweet Apple Pie Fries!™ stand? Paying the opportunity forward through franchising was the obvious choice and we are excited to see this work for franchise owners all over the country as it has for us!”.
She has decided to maintain control of the operation and fund the franchise through a Kickstarter campaign. The Kickstarter page, which includes a video that shows how Sweet Apple Pie Fries!™ are made from scratch, can be viewed at the Kickstarter site.
Donations of any amount are welcome. For $25, backers will receive an order of Sweet Apple Pie Fries!™ from a stand in the Portland area. A $50 pledge gets you the fries and a T-shirt. Larger donations are rewarded with hoodies, tote bags and other promotional items.
