How to Franchise: J Co Donuts

Pinoy Money Talk

If you’re a donut lover, J. Co Donuts and Coffee is likely one of your top choices for your donut cravings. For people who need sugar rush to energize them for the day, J. Co provides sweet treats oozing with unique ingredients.

Do you want to be a franchise owner of J. Co Donuts in the Philippines? Continue reading below. 

About J Co Donuts

JCo opened its first outlet in Indonesia in 2006. Since then, it has become the fastest growing donut and coffee chain in that country, competing with other leading brands to become the market leader for donuts and coffee.

The store name JCo is actually the nickname of its founder, Johnny Andrean, an Indonesian entrepreneur who first built a chain of hair salons in Indonesia called Andrean. Apart from hair salons, Andrean also ventured into designer breads, becoming the master franchisee of BreadTalk in Indonesia.

From its inception, JCo was able to expand globally, penetrating Asian markets beginning with Malaysia in 2007 and Singapore in 2008. JCo opened its first Hong Kong branch in 2016, coinciding with its 10th year anniversary, while its first store in Saudi Arabia took place in 2018. As of 2019, there are more than 300 JCo stores worldwide.

J. Co in the Philippines

In 2012, JCo reached Philippine shores with the opening of its first outlet in SM Megamall. The company has seen rapid expansion since then and in 2017, JCo store count has already reached 44 branches nationwide.

The master franchise holder and owner of JCo in the Philippines is Contemporain Foods Inc. This company is actually a joint venture between two companies: Liwayway Marketing Corporation, the company behind the “Oishi” snack brand, and Injap Investments Inc., the company that owned Mang Inasal (which Jollibee acquired) and DoubleDragon Properties.

J. Co’s Donut Flavors and Signature Items

J. Co takes pride in the use of unique and premium ingredients in its doughuts, such as Belgian chocolate, California almonds, American honey, New Zealand cheese, and Japanese matcha, among others. They also became popular for selling donuts flavored with a combination of Italian Cappuccino and Chocolate which they called, Jcoccino.

J.CO’s donuts are often named using word plays or puns. Some of their popular donut flavors include:

  • Alcapone
  • Avocado Dicaprio
  • Berry Spears
  • Black Jack
  • Blue Berrymore
  • Cheese Cakelicious
  • Choconutzy
  • Copa Banana
  • Crunchy Crunchy
  • Don Mochino
  • Forest Glam
  • Glazzy
  • Green Tease
  • Jacky Chunk
  • Marble Hazel
  • Meisissippi
  • Tira Miss U
  • Why Nut?

Over the years, J. Co’s products expanded to sandwiches, coffee, frozen yogurts, and other flavored drinks categorized as J. Club, J. Coffee, J.Cool, etc.

Franchise Application Process

J. Co currently allows a limited number of franchisees per country. To apply, prospective franchisees must undergo this strict franchise process:

1. Inquiry

In this first step, applicants are asked to submit basic information such as contact details, company profile, and financial information. The JCo Franchise Inquiry Form is to be completed online and can be found in their official website indicated below.

Some of the questions required to be completed online by prospective franchisees include:

  • What is your net worth (in US $)?
  • How much liquid capital do you have to invest (in US $)?
  • How many JCo stores do you plan to develop? 
  • Do you have any experience in one of the following areas: multi-unit operations, food and beverages, or commercial real estate? (Yes / No)
  • Please share with us any other background or relevant information including your experience, professional background, how you found out about J. CO, and why you are interested in becoming a part of J. CO.

2. Selection

After the evaluation of the basic information submitted in Step 1, JCo will then ask potential partner candidates to submit another set of requirements, including a more in-depth background, business plan, and financial forecasts.

3. Legal

Once the applicant has hurdled the first two steps, qualified franchisees are shortlisted and will be invited to discuss the legal matters related to the franchise, specifically, the terms and conditions of the franchising contract.

4. Pre-Opening

Chosen applicants will then need to complete J. Co’s training program and decide on the store design based on their understanding of target market and location. They will also start to conduct marketing campaigns to promote the opening of the new store.

5. Grand Opening

Franchisees will finally launch their own J. Co Donuts store.

Franchise Fee and Benefits

How much do you need to franchise JCO Donuts? According to reports, the franchise fee for a JCo store ranges from $10,000 to $20,000.

In addition, the franchisee will be the one to shoulder the startup capital investment and initial operating expense, which means total investment could reach $250,000 to $1.5 million per store.

This investment, of course, already includes benefits that JCo provides to franchise owners, such as:

a. Training and Support – regular consulting, training, and support (including on-site visits) to help franchised stores perform at their best

b. Custom Store Design – each store location is custom-designed by JCo to maximize space while retaining a cozy and modern ambience as the perfect place for meet ups, winding down, relaxing, and meetings.

c. Product Innovation – JCo promises to continuously offer products that suit local tastes, ranging from new flavors together with old favorites.

Contact Details

If you wish to learn more about J. Co in the Philippines and their franchising details, you can reach them through:

Website: www.jcodonuts.com.ph

Email: franchise@jcodonuts.com

Telephone no.: (+632) 844 8441

Head Office: 2225 Tolentino St., Pasay City, Metro Manila

* View other food cart and restaurant franchising opportunities in the Philippines! Here’s PinoyMoneyTalk’s Complete list of Philippine companies available for Franchising

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Information and Image sources: J. Co Donuts and Coffee’s official company website and Facebook page

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Pinoy Money Talk is an educational website about money, banking, investments, and personal finance which started in 2005. Its group of five writers consists of one equity research analyst, one fintech startup owner, one finance educator, and two investment professionals.