CGF establishes Esquires presence in Pakistan and Jordan

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MEDIA RELEASE 26 March 2018
Cooks Global Foods establishes Esquires Coffee presence in
Pakistan and Jordan
Stores in Karachi & Amman opened last week, providing platforms for expansion.
Cooks Global Foods has opened its first Esquires Coffee stores in Pakistan and Jordan.
The openings are the latest moves in the company’s strategy to take New Zealand’s
third-wave artisanal, Organic and Fairtrade café culture to the world.
The Pakistan Store in the Zamzama District of Karachi is the first of a planned network
of 40 stores to be rolled out across the country over the next ten years.
The Amman store in the affluent suburb Daboug, which opened at the start of March, is
also envisaged as the first in a planned country-wide network of 30 stores to be
established over the next 10 years.
Cooks Executive Chairman Keith Jackson said demand for international brands and
experiences is strong in both countries. Meanwhile, the local franchisees, Bearhug
Group in Pakistan and Neat Hospitality in Jordan, offer Esquires the local knowledge
and expertise necessary to build a successful business.
“The Pakistan store is in Karachi’s busy Zamzama area, a popular and affluent quarter
of the city, populated by banks, offices, high-end shops, cafes and restaurants. It is the
latest evolution of the Esquires café format, including a modern kitchen, an à la carte
menu and design that reflects the best of New Zealand café culture.
We are confident it will be a great launching pad for stores in Pakistan.”
“The Jordanian store, located in the affluent Daboug district of Amman, offers similar
characteristics. With a population of just over 4 million people, the city can attract as
many as two million tourists a year, ranking it among the most visited cities in the world.
Again, it represents a great place from which to build out our presence in Jordan,” Mr
Jackson said.
Over the last year Cooks has signed preliminary term sheets to extend Esquires’
presence into the Middle East, North Africa & West Asia, Hong Kong, Macau and
Taiwan and it is in talks to engage franchisees in a number of other regions.
“Globally our brand and our franchise system are recognised for delivering results for
franchisees. This was underscored by the naming of Esquires Coffee as the top-rated

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coffee store franchise in the United Kingdom, by Elite Franchise magazine in late 2017.
We are excited about the opportunities we see,” Mr Jackson said.
Neat Hospitality and Bearhug signed Esquires master franchise agreements in 2017.
Cooks owns the international intellectual property and master franchising rights to
Esquires Coffee Houses worldwide, excluding New Zealand and Australia. The brand
now operates nearly 100 coffee houses in 13 national communities as diverse as
Ireland, the UK, China, Portugal, Indonesia, Canada and many countries in the Middle
East. These countries have taken to Esquires relaxed, community-focussed, artisanal
informality.
Cooks also owns ‘Grounded’, one of the world’s first climate neutral, Organic and
Fairtrade coffee brands, and is a 50% shareholder in Crux Products, a food and
beverage supply business leveraging the global trading networks initially established
through the Esquires Coffee franchisees and investors.
For further information:
Keith Jackson Richard Inder
Cooks Global Foods The Project
Executive Chairman +64 21 645 643
Tel: +64 21 702 509

About Cooks Global Foods
Cooks Global Foods operates in world markets and is listed on the NZAX market operated by NZX Limited
in New Zealand under the code CGF. It owns the intellectual property and master franchising rights to
Esquires Coffee Houses worldwide excluding New Zealand and Australia. Cooks currently operates or
franchises Esquires Coffee in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE,
Indonesia, Portugal, Romania, Pakistan, Jordan and China. For more information visit:
www.cooksglobalfoods.com.