Tariq launched the first Edible Arrangements® store in 1999 in East Haven, Connecticut.
He was inspired by the convergence of three trends: Americans' growing consumption
of fresh fruit, the robust growth in the specialty food market and the increasing
amount of money Americans were spending on gifts. Edible Arrangements® was named
one of America’s fastest-growing privately held businesses in America by Inc. Magazine
and one of the top franchise systems in Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500. Tariq
has four pending U.S. patents for proprietary fruit-cutting equipment that he designed.
As a teenager, Tariq worked in a local McDonald's for several years, and it was there
that he learned, the power of business systemization. His entrepreneurial experience
began in the late 1980s, when, at age 17, he used a $5,000 loan from his parents
to purchase a local flower shop. Within two years, Tariq was operating four highly
successful stores.
The first Edible Arrangements® franchise opened in 2001 in Waltham, Massachusetts.
In eight short years, Edible Arrangements® has grown to over 800 stores located
throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Dubai, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, and other international markets. Growth continues vigorously, with
an average of 25 franchise signings a month. Tariq’s involvement with franchisees
has been a hallmark of the Edible Arrangements® franchise success story. He still
spends time in the corporate store in North Haven, CT to stay in regular contact
with customers, and to understand the day-to-day realities of running a retail store
in an ever-changing marketplace.
In 2006, Tariq launched Frutation by Edible Arrangements®. Frutation® is an all
natural fruit station for consumers who are on the go. The menu includes a variety
of delicious fruit treats that are made fresh right in front of the customer, such
as Fruithy® (fresh fruit smoothies), fresh juices, fruit salads, Frusala® (spiced
fruit salads), fruit sundaes and chocolate dipped fruit. Products are made from
a combination of fresh fruit and other all natural ingredients. This concept is
currently growing throughout the United States and internationally in high traffic
shopping malls and other major metropolitan areas.
A self-taught computer whiz, Tariq designed all the computer systems that franchisees
use in their day-to-day operation, including order processing, training manuals,
production and profitability tracking, and supply chain management. In 2001, he
founded Netsolace, Inc., located in Hamden, Connecticut. Netsolace is a computer
software distributor for the franchise industry.
Tariq Farid was born in Pakistan in 1969 and immigrated to the United States at
age 11. He grew up in West Haven, Connecticut and became a U.S. citizen in 1986.
He developed the Salma K. Farid Academy, a non-profit learning and community center,
to honor the wishes of his late mother, whom he credits as the inspiration for his
success.
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