From the beginning, Lohran Soares didn’t think small. Even when Milky Moo only had a 15 square meter store in a popular shopping mall in Goiânia, the chain’s CEO and founder already had an ambitious plan.
“We were born with a giant soul, even though we were small. When we founded Milky Moo I said: we are going to have 100 stores.”, says the founder and CEO of one of the fastest growing chains in Brazilian food service.
The initial goal was then quickly surpassed. In just a few years, Milky Moo surpassed hundreds of units.
“Today we are the biggest dessert brand in Brazilian delivery. But my dream is for us to be a global brand”, reveals Soares in an interview for the podcast From Zero to Topa program that tells stories of successful entrepreneurs.
The strategy behind the brand
The black and pink “malhadinha” brand already has more than 800 units in Brazil and stores in the United States. There are around 1.5 million milkshakes per month. And part of the company’s accelerated growth is linked to building a highly recognizable brand.
According to the CEO, the brand’s look was designed to be easily identifiable. “I encourage people to think of another brand in the world that you can identify without having the logo. Our calico, whoever looks at it already knows: Milky Moo”, he says.
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The founder also believes that constant innovation is essential to maintain the brand’s relevance. “If you innovate once, everyone imitates you. When you innovate again, too. But if you have a culture of innovation, no one follows you”, reveals the CEO.
The company is betting on collaborations with other brands and new products to reinforce this strategy. Among the partnerships are companies such as Piracanjuba, Nestlé, Paramount, Universal Pictures and Ruffles.
Designed for climbing
From the beginning, Lohran says, the Milky Moo model was designed for franchise expansion. Today the network already has thousands of indirect collaborators across the country. “We are more than 6 thousand people working in our stores making things happen to serve 80,000 customers per day”.
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The growth plan includes new operations in Brazil and abroad. The company has already opened units in the United States and is negotiating entry into other countries.
“We opened our first two stores outside Brazil last year, in Miami. We have been operating in the United States for a year. Now we have also arrived in Orlando and we have already signed a contract for Paraguay”, says Soares.
And Lohran wants more. According to him, international expansion is just beginning.
“My biggest dream is for us to be a global brand. I joke that if it doesn’t work out, we’ll die trying”, he says with a humorous and always optimistic tone. “Our focus today is on expanding in Brazil, the United States and Latin America. But our biggest goal is to open and be successful in 50 countries. We are in the middle of the journey. The dream is huge” he concludes.
To find out more details about Milky Moo’s strategy, franchises and the innovation that drove growth, see the full episode on . The program is available in its podcast version on the main streaming platforms such as , , , and
About From Zero to Top
The Do Zero ao Topo podcast is a production of InfoMoney and brings, every week, the stories of prominent women and men in the Brazilian market to tell their story, sharing the biggest challenges faced along the way and the main strategies used in building the business.
