Dallas, TX, USA (May 1, 2023) – Smoothie Factory International and Café Barbera “The Italian Coffee House” today announced that the companies have each signed a franchise agreement with Ihmoud Saed Kouk & Saed Yousef Kouk to begin developing a co-branded store in the State of Palestine. The Kouk family has a proven track record of success in the local real estate and hotel industries.

The franchise agreements call for the development of a co-branded store in Ramallah and will be located on the ground floor of the family’s Signature Suites & Hotel building located at Al-Balou’, Behind Ministry of Internal Affairs. The store will be approximately 170sm total in size and will feature a drive-thru. The Kouk family has also secured an exclusive grant of master franchise rights for the State of Palestine for the development of additional stores over the years as well as the distribution rights of Café Barbera coffee within the market to other hospitality businesses.

“Our guests love Smoothie Factory’s wide variety of innovative healthy high-quality products, all served in a fast, friendly environment and at a great value,” said James Villasana, President, Smoothie Factory International. “Smoothie Factory and Café Barbera are two very diverse brands but are very similar from an operations standpoint. There’s a tremendous value in co-branding, not only to expand the customer base and from a real estate perspective, but also in becoming the guest’s preference as a one-stop-shop, no matter their craving,” further commented James Villasana.

The co-branded store in Ramallah will feature Smoothie Factory’s real fruit smoothies, fresh squeezed juices, authentic frozen yogurt, acai bowls, juice cleanse programs, popsicles and a wide assortment of healthy life foods while Café Barbera will be serving up over 30 handcrafted coffee beverages, wide assortment of pastries, and other signature beverages including Aromagic™ frozen drinks. Guests can enjoy their experience in comfortable seating in a variety of styles either in the main 120sm area or the additional but separate 50sm smoking and hookah section. The store also offers a free Wi-Fi internet access.

“We are delighted to enter into this relationship with Smoothie Factory and Café Barbera, two brands with a proven track record of international success,” said Ihmoud Kouk. “There is a strong demand in Palestine for high-quality products, served in a welcoming environment, at a great value. We look forward to the opening of our first store in Ramallah and the expansion of our presence in Palestine in the years ahead.”

‘’Cafè Barbera was founded by Domenico Barbera the ‘Coffee Wizard’ in 1870, it is Italy’s oldest coffee roastery. 150 years later the company continues to be run by fifth and sixth generation descendants of the original ‘Coffee Wizard’, and our mission remains the same: producing exceptional coffee. We are thrilled to launch Cafè Barbera concept in Ramallah as part of our expansion in the region & we are excited by the collaboration with Smoothie Factory which will enhance a complete experience for our customers in Palestine,’’ said Dr. Enrico Barbera (5^th generation).’’

The co-branded store is scheduled to open during July 2023. For more information, please visit www.smoothiefactory.net and www.cafebarbera.com.