Michael Adrian Koolen – CEO and Founder – Essential Brands Group

In the past Twenty years, Mike has gained a wealth of experience in sales management and as an innovator in the food and beverage related industries, both in Australia and also overseas. From his concepts Mike along with his wife and partner Gayle has translated these ideas successfully into Brands with turnover exceeding $20 million per annum.

 

In 1992, Kools Chicken 'n' Fries was started, becoming a hugely successful system/concept with 380 outlets throughout Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

 

The company imported pressure fryers from the USA and built a 'Branded System' around this. After merging Kools Chicken 'n' Fries with Retail Food Group, (Donut King & BB's Cafe) in 1997, Mike sold the rights to the Brand in Australasia, retaining the Brand elsewhere throughout the world.

 

Mike, with Gayle and two children, ventured to the United Kingdom and the Brand 'Kools' was then promoted, with tentative direction also to South Africa. The company then sold its complete rights to the Brand in late 1999.

 

After four years overseas, Mike and his family returned to Australia. Mike's expertise in identifying business opportunities and developing concepts selling equipment systems with ongoing consumable sales platforms started 'planting' the seeds of a concept involving coffee which would turn into the highly successful Espresso Essential.

 

The billion dollar growth coffee industry has continued to forge ahead in the world market.Mike realised that there was a deficit of automatic style, 'fast service' coffee machines giving cafe quality, real bean espresso coffee to the non-traditional market place (ie not restaurants or cafes). He then set about acquiring the exclusive import rights to Australasia and certain other countries, from manufacturers in Italy of the highest quality fully automatic espresso machines.

 

Over the past 9 years, the business has grown dramatically, via a network of Master Franchisees and Franchisees driven by Mike's management, motivation and his innovative sales system where the equipment and product is taken to the customer in a demonstration vehicle.

 

Over this time, Mike also identified an opportunity in the Slush beverage business and used his same concept structures to build Essential Slush into an Australian leader in the slush/granita market.