Anyone who is fond of chocolate and has a passion for running a business might want to sight his or her sights on the Chocolate Moonshine Co.
This is not your great, great, great grandfather’s liquid moonshine. This is the first of its kind; a luxury chocolate retail brand with an interactive create-your-own assortment of artisan crafted chocolates, hand-painted with French cocoa butter. Chocolate Moonshine Co. also offers artisan ice cream, sipping chocolates, frozen-blended chocolate drinks and branded apparel.
A Sweet Deal
The Chocolate Moonshine Co. is an innovative retail concept. The concept is currently available in international markets, with one retail location investment for a single unit franchise at $30,000. But the company is expanding into the U.S., rolling out its first-stage of 500 retail stores and 1000+ pop-up locations. Currently, 80 U.S. and abroad locations are opening in Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Dubai.
What makes this franchise so appealing to the self-employed is that it’s not seasonal–you can sell items all year long. In addition to custom built retail locations, you can have a kiosk operation, satellite store in an office buildings, or even college campus stores.
Minimal Labor, Maximum Profits
The build-out cost for a temporary pop-up shop is $1,500 – $10,000 and for a kiosk it’s $10,000 – $30,000. An in-line stores costs $20,000 – $100,000, while a traditional brick-and-mortar store starts at $25,000. All build-out costs are dependent upon the location and necessary improvements.
Additionally, minimum staffing is required, and the artisan chocolate and fudge is pre-packaged for immediate sales. The product’s shelf-life is four months for bars and two months for fudge.
According to the company’s franchise packet, its logistics company ships weekly to 67 countries. Former plants have produced over 100 million in U.S. confectionary sales, with clients such as Hersey, Costco Wholesale, Six Flags Amusement Parks, and Ritz Carlton hotels. Festivals and road shows are a great way to market and sell the Chocolate Moonshine Co. goods, which is something the corporate office will assist with, in terms of scheduling.
Pop-Up Shops
Increasing in recent years, the pop-up shop concept has grown in appeal. Pop-up shops are physical stores that retailers inhabit on a short-term basis, such as 30, 60, or 90 days. Some shops may even pop up for one day only. According to PopUp Insider, an industry newsletter, pop-ups can be holiday stores, concept stores, galleries, exhibitions, or cafe/restaurant promotions, but they involve a tenant taking empty retail or commercial real estate, outfitting it to suit their business needs, and then operating the space on a short-term basis with a finite assortment of goods.