International Franchise

Expo Press Kit

Table of Contents

1. About Le Macaron French Pastries 2. Fact Sheet 3. Press Releases 4. Media Highlights

About Le Macaron French Pastries Experience a Le Macaron French Pastries boutique, a simple but elegant French pastry shop where customers will enjoy a variety of fresh and authentic macarons, fine gourmet chocolates, European-style coffee and espresso drinks, premium gourmet teas, cool and creamy imported French-style gelato and French pastries. Le Macaron Development LLC offers a time-tested business model with multiple revenue streams. There is no on-site baking, which allows franchise owners to focus on indulging customers with an experience the French have perfected -- slowing down long enough to appreciate a simpler way of life and indulge in the little luxuries that make people smile. Owner Rosalie Guillem and her Le Macaron French Pastries team members are eager to share their knowledge and experience with the right U.S. owner-operators, offering only the best support, from initial inquiry to grand opening and beyond. No other pastry shop, bakery or cafe offers the same ambience, variety, quality, convenience and simplicity of operations that Le Macaron French Pastries does. Their Story While Rosalie Guillem was living in Florida and her daughter Audrey Guillem-Saba was living in France, they had a dream – to share delectable French macarons with the world and to reunite their family. Hailing originally from France, they were surprised to find that the American take on the macaron was often simply sugar spun into a cookie shape ...or that the macaron was frequently confused with the very different coconut macaroon. They knew that with a little consumer education, and by treating the American palate to true French macarons made from only the best ingredients, they could bring a true taste and texture sensation to the marketplace. Rosalie, Audrey and their team spent months working with a highly acclaimed, Frenchtrained pastry chef, and together they selected the best quality ingredients to create tasty, sweet morsels of crisp meringue with soft, flavorful filings, that created an explosion of favor with every bite. In 2009, the Guillems gathered their family in America and opened the first Le Macaron French Pastries location in Sarasota, Florida. They began franchising in 2013 and now enable a thriving network of dedicated franchise owners who operate both single- and multi-unit pastry shops. About the Product Macaron Oui! Macaroon Non! With a recipe perfected by a French-trained master pastry chef, the Le Macaron French Pastries’ signature macaron features the best ingredients that result in a tasty, sweet morsel of crisp meringue with soft, flavorful filling made with gluten-free ingredients and no preservatives. Averaging 80 calories apiece, these macarons come in 20 sensational flavors that are as easy on the waistline as they are the palate. The macaron, perfected in France, has a long history dating back centuries in Europe. Macarons look like small, round shells and are created from ground almonds and soft meringue. Macarons fit in the palm of your hand. They are lightly crisp on the outside, smooth and creamy in the center, filled with ganache (chocolate), rich cream, homemade fruit jams or other quality ingredients. Stop by one of Le Macaron French Pastries’ sophisticated shops to enjoy a delicate macaron and a cup of European coffee, or deliver a beautifully wrapped gift of macarons and other treats to a loved one.

Fact Sheet

• There are more than 50 Le Macaron French Pastries café locations open across the U.S. and Puerto Rico

• A typical location occupies 800 to 1,000 commercial square feet of space. • Macarons are created in Le Macaron French Pastries’ central kitchen to ensure quality

and freshness, and then the macarons are delivered to store locations, daily. • The individual franchise locations require no on-site baking preparation, which allows

your focus to remain on providing customers with the French experience of a slower pace where they can sit and appreciate Le Macaron French Pastries’ cafe delicacies.

• Le Macaron also offers imported French gelato, fine handmade chocolates and additional French pastries as well as European coffee and fine gourmet tea.

• Each macaron is 80 calories with no gluten-containing ingredients and no preservatives, and there are always 20 unique and delicious flavors that are ever changing each season.

Plans for Growth Le Macaron Development LLC opened its first franchise location in Quarter 1 2013 and has more than 50 locations open in the United States. Entrepreneur magazine ranked Le Macaron French Pastries #52 in its list of the 2016 Top New Franchises and the company was included in the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Privately Held U.S. Companies for 2016. Le Macaron French Pastries was also listed in Entrepreneur ‘s Start Up Magazine’s Top 10 Categories for 2016, included in the Bakery Category. The franchise system is perfectly positioned for national growth with many premier locations available. Its unique concept, highly suited for area and multi-unit development, will bring a truly sweet and welcoming experience to local areas across the United States.

A Sweet Victory: Le Macaron French Pastries Ranked on Annual Inc. 5000 List!

Sarasota, Florida—This year has been a busy one for Le Macaron French Pastries, and the fun

is just beginning! When we’re not helping franchise owners achieve their personal and

professional goals, or wowing dessert lovers with our products, our team is constantly imagining

ways to introduce our French pastry shop concept to communities nationwide. And, our hard

work continues to pay off.

This year, for the first time, Le Macaron French Pastries appears on Inc. Magazine’s 35th

Annual List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies – the Inc. 5000. With a three-year

sales growth of 259%, our French macaron franchise ranked No. 1476, joining prestigious

companies like Microsoft, Pandora, Yelp and more.

Each year, Inc. Magazine recognizes independent brands making significant contributions to the

small business landscape. In fact, companies featured on the Inc. 5000 collectively generated

640,000 jobs over the past three years. The average company on the list achieved a three-year

growth rate of 433%, so Le Macaron French Pastries is definitely in great company!

We’re honored to receive this national recognition as we continue to set our French pastry shop

concept apart as a market leader. We have the drive, the technology, the business model and the

team to truly bring a taste of luxury to every major market in the United States. Read more

about what this accomplishment means for our upscale macaron business here.

If you’ve been considering a career change or looking to diversify your investment portfolio,

consider our French pastry shop business for the opportunity of a lifetime. Complete with a

sound business model, ongoing franchise support and high growth potential, Le Macaron

French Pastries is redefining the café niche, one macaron at a time.

Don’t miss out on the chance to join our growing French macaron franchise brand. Speak with a

member of our franchise support team and learn how you can get started in the macaron

business today.

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Sarasota startup 'Le Macaron' tastes sweet success

SARASOTA (FOX 13) - Rosalie Guillem and her daughter, Audrey Saba, have created a sweet life for themselves in Sarasota.

"It's kind of a European feeling; the culture, the city, the beach. It's beautiful," said Audrey.

They wanted to bring a taste of their native France to their new home in America. "We were looking for an idea to open a new concept here and I was observing what we have in France that I was not able to find here in the country and, going by elimination after elimination, I went with this wonderful little delicacy," said Rosalie.

The small, colorful delicacy she picked is the macaron. Not to be confused with another treat.

"We don't say ‘macaroons.’ Macaroons are made with coconut. Our product is macaron. French: 'macaron,'" explained Rosalie.

The named their store Le Macaron.

"What we like to say is it's a French store but everything is made in America," Audrey offered.

Audrey's husband, Didier, runs the kitchen where the macarons are made. "Everything is natural ingredients. Everything is fresh."

So what is a macaron? Rosalie explained: "A macaron is a French little delicacy. It's made with two shells. The shells are made with almond flour and soft meringue. Inside you have a different kind of filling. It could be a ganache or chocolate."

It took a moment for the idea to translate to the public.

"At the beginning when we opened the store, our American customer came in and said 'Oh, that's beautiful! What are they, mini hamburgers?' No just macarons," Rosalie recalled.

The family ran into some challenges when they started the business in 2009.

"It was not easy in the beginning because it was the Great Recession. So it was really hard,” Audrey said.

Initially, the only chef was Audrey's husband.

"We worked, like, seven days a week," said Didier.

But it didn't take long for the hard work to pay off.

"It spread just like that because when you have a very good quality of delicacy, everybody loves and talks about [it]. We started to have people driving from Orlando, from Naples, from Tampa just to buy a wonderful little macaron. That was just the beginning of the story," continued Rosalie.

The business that started in St. Armand's Circle began expanding in 2012.

"Now we have 50 stores, so it's a lot of work but we do love our franchising, we do love our product, so it's easy for us, it's a pleasure for us," said Audrey.

And there's a lot more help in the Sarasota kitchen, not far away from the original store. It's where all of the macarons are made.

"We have 15 to 18 people working here every day," Didier proclaimed.

While the business has grown, Rosalie and Audrey said the experience of seeing someone tasting their product for their first time never gets old.

"I like to see our customers who never tried a macaron. I like to see their face when they bite in the macaron. It's like they walk on the moon for the first time. They discovered something wonderful and they want to share it,” Rosalie smiled.

It’s a discovery that came from one country and blossomed in another.

"We work very hard but we started from nothing, from scratch. And today, thank God, we are successful. This this is our American dream, that it's possible.”

Read this article: http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/251939409-story

By Katie Levans Loveluck

Le Macaron French Pastries is now open at The Metropolitan

A new French sweets shop has joined the lineup at The Metropolitan.

Le Macaron, a Florida-based French pastry franchise, opened its first North Carolina location here in Charlotte about two weeks ago. The next closest is in Atlanta.

The shop features macarons (obviously), chocolates, croissants and gelato along with coffee, hot chocolate and tea.

Prices aren’t cheap. The macarons and chocolates come in boxes of 6 to 20 priced at about $15 to $50. But owner Moussa Bamba tells me customers just have to try it to be convinced to buy it.

One woman, he said, opted for just two macarons because the box of 6 ($15) was too expensive. He said she left the shop and came back in not five minutes later to buy four more.

If tasting is believing at Le Macaron, start with flavors on the front row of the display case.

Bamba says the macarons closest to the window on the largest trays are the most popular flavors. Specialty flavors take up less real estate in the back but are equally as good, he says.

Front row flavors included winners like salty caramel, lemon, chocolate, white chocolate basil, walnut and gingerbread.

This is a nice addition to a busy shopping destination, but if you were hoping for a full-blown French bakery in Midtown, Le Macaron French Pastries is not it.

Although Moussa and his wife, Hortense, are French (and she is a French baker at that), Le Macaron’s baked goods are actually prepared in Florida. The gelato is shipped in from France.

The way I see it, if a Florida-based French bakeshop got the approval of two French natives (one of whom is baker), it’s probably doing something right.

Want to check it out for yourself? You’ll find Le Macaron Charlotte at 1111 Metropolitan Avenue #20. Read this article: https://www.charlotteagenda.com/74025/le-macaron-french-pastries-now-open-metropolitan/

12 local firms make Inc. 5000 growth list By Staff report

Inc. magazine is out with its annual list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private U.S. companies, which includes 12 Southwest Florida businesses this year.

Notably absent from this year’s list is the Palmetto-based supplement and cosmetics direct-sales giant It Works Global, which was No. 442 on the list last year, the highest in the area.

This year, the top company for growth in the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metro area, at No. 979, was Environmental Pest Service, of Sarasota. The company logged three-year growth of 409 percent and revenue of $43.9 million. Last year, its first on the list, it was ranked 1,055. Inc. also said the company was No. 5 among environmental services companies.

Environmental Pest Service has grown primarily through a string of acquisitions of other pest-control companies. It is the parent company of Arrow Environmental Services in west and central Florida, Bug Out Service in north Florida, Skyline Pest Solutions in metro Atlanta and State Pest Control in North Carolina.

The rest of the companies in the area on the Inc. list are:

• No. 1,187 — JMX Brands, of Sarasota, with three-year growth of 328 percent and 2015 revenue of $7.9 million. The e-commerce company specializes in selling Amish-made furniture. It was No. 1,983 last year.

• No. 1340 — Global Financial Private Capital, a Sarasota wealth management firm, with growth of 287 percent and 2015 revenue of $63.1 million. Founded in 2004, it is the company’s first year on the list.

• No. 1358 — CRMSuite, a Sarasota company producing a suite of customer-relationship = management tools. It racked up three-year growth of 283 percent and scored 2015 revenue of $8 million. It is the first year on the list for the company founded in 2003.

• No. 1476 — Le Macaron French Pastries, the Sarasota-based baker of beautiful, tiny sweets, has two local locations and some 36 others, most of them in Florida but including California, Atlanta and Puerto Rico. It had 259 percent growth and $4.7 million in revenue. It’s the 7-year-old company’s first time on the list.

Read this article: http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20160817/12-local-firms-make-inc-5000-growth-list