Van Houtte Inc.

Founded: 1919 Franchising since: 1983
Albert-Louis Van Houtte, a French immigrant, set up his first grocery store in Montreal in 1919. Van Houtte stocked the store with specialty products from Europe, including coffee. Each day he would roast small batches of coffee in the back of his shop, and soon Van Houtte had built up a reputation in Montreal for selling quality coffee.

In the more than 80 years since its founder began roasting European coffees, A.L. Van Houtte Cafe-Bistro has grown beyond Montreal and has expanded its menu. Today, each cafe-bistro serves a variety of coffee and espresso drinks, as well as teas, soups and sandwiches.

8300 19th Ave. Montreal, H1Z 4J8

Phone: (514)593-7711

Franchise Growth

Year	U.S. Franchises	Canadian Franchises	Foreign Franchises	Company Owned
2005	0	76	0	0

Where Seeking Franchisees
Not available in the U.S.

Total investment: $250K-300K Cdn. Franchise fee: $27.5K Cdn.

Ongoing royalty fee: 5% Term of agreement: 10 years, renewable

Type of Financing Available

	In-House	Third Party
Franchise Fee	No	No
Startup Costs	No	No
Equipment	No	No
Inventory	No	No
Accounts Receivable	No	No
Payroll	No	No

Qualifications
Net worth requirement: $100K Cdn.
Cash liquidity requirement: $100K Cdn.

Operations

• 5% of all franchisees own more than one unit
• Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Training

• Available at headquarters: 4 weeks

Ongoing Support

• Meetings
• Grand opening
• Field operations/evaluations
• Purchasing cooperatives

Marketing Support

• Co-op advertising
• Regional advertising