Editor’s note: This article was first published in May 2011. The founder’s age, the list of locations and the plans for Morocco and Portugal are from that year; the chain’s current size and footprint will differ.
In the middle of the economic crisis, with ice cream parlours seeing their sales drop sharply, who would have thought that the business idea of a 24-year-old entrepreneur from Valencia would turn an ice cream into one of today’s expanding profitable businesses?
Few people were betting on LlaoLlao, a company whose product is a yogurt ice cream, or in other words, a frozen yogurt. Well, the product, which we might call the “yogulado” (from the Spanish yogur and helado, ice cream), has been remarkably well received by consumers, and not just in summer but all year round.
Our young entrepreneur, 24-year-old Pedro Espinosa, opened his first shop in Denia (Alicante). It was such a success and so much in demand that, as of 2011, he already has outlets in Benidorm, Gandía, Peñíscola, Ibiza, Valencia and Madrid, and he has signed up a new opening in Morocco. Pedro now has his sights set on conquering foreign markets, starting with Portugal, where he already holds a licence for another outlet.
The entrepreneur doesn’t have many secrets to share: he says his success comes from a frozen yogurt that is creamier, fat-free and tastes good. Is anything else needed? Yes: a variety of flavours and fruits, which are already on his menu.
It’s one more example of how innovation leads to success in times of crisis, to the point that he has already turned his business idea into a franchise.
Further reading
- Heart Burger: a burger turned into a business
- Business ideas for this year
- The most profitable franchises of 2011
- Eco-friendly vehicle rental as a business idea
Featured image: Willis Lam, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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