This story appears in the
August 2000 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Edible flowers? No, you're not dreaming of Willie
Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Incredibly Edible Delites Inc.
allows customers to actually stop and eat the roses.
Based in Broomall, Pennsylvania, this crafty franchise
specializes in floral-esque arrangements made from fruits and
vegetables. With seven locations, co-founders Susan Ellman, 48, and
Ellen Davis, 49, consider themselves part of a business that has
evolved over time.
It all started back in 1984 when Ellman, a teacher, made a
fruit-basket arrangement for a synagogue function. She used fruit
that wouldn't turn brown, including cantaloupes, strawberries,
pineapples and grapes. Her creation was such a success, she
approached sister-in-law Davis about going into business. Davis, a
speech therapist, accepted, and the orders poured in. When they ran
out of counter space in their kitchens, Ellman and Davis quit their
full-time jobs, opened a workshop, and incorporated their business
in 1985.
"We didn't think we'd be coming into our workshop
every day," Davis says. "However, from the day we opened
the door, we never made another basket at home."
When word-of-mouth spread, they received calls from customers as
well as potential franchisees who liked what they saw. Since the
first franchise opened in September 1993 in Westville, New Jersey,
the business has never been the same.
Incredibly Edible Delites delivered more than $3 million worth
of baskets in 1999. Using a controlled growth strategy, Ellman and
Davis would like to further develop the East Coast and Midwest
before expanding to the Western states.
Considering Ellman and Davis never wanted to be businesswomen,
their success as franchisors is "unbelievable," says
Ellman, "even to ourselves."
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