History
Tropical Smoothie began as a smoothie shop in 1993. Tropical Smoothie Franchise Development Corporation was founded in 1997 in Destin, Florida. The first franchised store opened in 1997 in Tallahassee, Florida.
In 1999 they created a niche in the smoothie category by introducing a line of food items such as sandwiches and wraps. As more locations opened, the individual Cafes went through some changes. They redesigned their store's decor to offer a tropical theme with bamboo walls, palm trees, bright colors, and original Bob Stedman artwork creations.
The franchise celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2007 and was opening a new store at a pace of every 6–7 days at the time. In 2006, Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened their 200th store in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and in 2011 they opened their 300th store in Fort Meyers, Florida.
Founders and original owners Eric & Delora Jenrich and David Walker came from franchise backgrounds and used that knowledge to grow Tropical Smoothie Cafe. As they grew they recruited others from the food industry, including the hiring of their current chief executive officer Mike Rotondo who had previous experience at companies such as Great Wraps, Arby's and HoneyBaked Ham.
In 2012, private equity firm BIP Opportunities Fund bought a controlling interest in Tropical Smoothie Café. Founders Erich Jenrich and David Walker, the former owners of Tropical Smoothie Café, remain on the board of directors, and former chief operating officer Mike Rotondo was promoted to replace Jenrich as chief executive officer. BIP partner Scott Pressly, who was a financial and strategic advisor to the chain since 2009, is now the company’s chairman.
The company posted over 100 million dollars in sales during 2008.
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