Australian Franchise News – 30-07-10
It’s not every day Aussies can enjoy a treat for a good cause, but buying a heart-shaped treat or coffee in August will help raise over $1 million to support children born with heart defects.
Developed and sponsored by Retail Food Group Limited, the initiative will raise funds from special HeartKids treats purchased from Donut King, Michel’s Patisserie, Brumby’s Bakeries, Brumby’s Go!, bb’s cafe and Big Dad’s Pies.
Up to $1 from each HeartKids Combo will be donated to HeartKids – a charity devoted to supporting children and their families affected by Childhood Heart Disease and funding much-needed research. The HeartKids Combo varies between the RFG brands and include:
- Donut King: A regular coffee and heart donut
- Michel’s Patisserie: A small coffee and heart cupcake or heart lamington
- Brumby’s Bakeries: A sandwich loaf and four heart cupcakes
- Brumby’s Go!: A regular coffee and heart slice
- bb’s cafe: A small coffee and heart muffin
- Big Dad’s Pies: A pie and heart lamington
RFG CEO Tony Alford said he was keen to raise the awareness of Childhood Heart Disease because it affected so many Australian families.
“It is the number one cause of infant death in this country and accounts for twice the number of children’s lives lost to cancer,” he said.
“HeartKids Australia requires funding to not only financially assist and provide long term support to those families whose children suffer heart defects but importantly to advance much needed research into developing long term positive outcomes for sufferers and hopefully cures.”
Child heart defects range from holes in their hearts to children being born with only one chamber.
RFG Chief Marketing Officer Tracey Catterall said the stores hoped to raise over $1 million for HeartKids during the next 12 months, with the August campaign the first fundraising effort.
“When RFG staff and our franchisee community understood that six children each day and more than 2,000 children a year are born with heart defects, it was overwhelmingly endorsed that we should emotionally and financially provide support,” she said.
“We knew the positive impact our six franchise systems and 1,100 retail stores could have in driving HeartKids awareness. We’re so committed to the HeartKids charity – this is the first time RFG has ever embarked on a full six-brand marketing campaign.
“We’re urging Australians to think twice when they shop and buy their bread, coffees and treats from one of our retail outlets and join our campaign to help raise over $1 million dollars for these beautiful kids.”
Retail Food Group is Australia’s leading retail food brand manager and franchisor and owns the Donut King, Michel’s Patisserie, Brumby’s Bakeries, Brumby’s Go!, Big Dad’s Pies and bb’s cafe franchise systems. There are more than 1,100 stores in the RFG network across Australia and New Zealand.
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