Nearly 4,000 People Gather For The Opening Of The First Cold Stone Creamery Location In Kochi, India

A grand opening celebration was held on May 7, and was attended by special guests: Mr. Yusuff Ali M.A., Managing Director of Lulu Group International; Mr. Ashraf Ali M.A., Executive Director of Lulu Group International; Mr. Mathew Vilayil, Director of Indian Operations - Tablez Food Company; Ms. Shafeena Yusuff Ali, Chief Executive Officer of Tablez Food Company; Mr. Sajan Alex, General Manager - Tablez Food Company (United Arab Emirates); Mr. Manu Abraham, General Manager, India and Sri Lanka; and Mr. Adeeb Ahamed, Director of Tablez Food Company.

"With this grand opening, we are all set to establish Cold Stone Creamery as the most preferred choice for ice cream in all of India," said Ms. Shafeena Yusuff Ali, CEO of Tablez Food Company. "We are confident that our locations will enjoy the same popularity that Cold Stone Creamery locations do in other international markets because of the unique flavors and innovative offerings."

The grand opening event also featured a ribbon cutting ceremony. Mr. Yusuff Ali, Managing Director of Lulu Group International had the honors of officially welcoming the first India Cold Stone Creamery to a crowd of nearly 4,000 attendees. Ice cream lovers traveled far and wide to attend, with one family driving 150 miles from the capital city of Kerala to be one of the first to taste the premium ice cream brand.

"It has been so exciting to watch this grand opening event unfold," said Eddy Jimenez, senior vice president of international operations and development. "Just within the first two hours of opening, 500 happy customers were served ice cream – that was exciting to see! This location is just one of many that will open here in India and we are thrilled at the initial response from the community at large."

Cold Stone Creamery has built a strong fan following based on a variety of factors, which include a lively entertainment experience complete with song and dance performances and ice cream juggling by highly trained crew members. Customers can get involved in the action with customizable menu options that combine unique ice cream flavors with a choice of mix-ins like nuts, candies, and fruits to deliver the Ultimate Ice Cream Experience^®. Customers can also choose from a list of Signature Creations™ such as Chocolate Devotion^®, which was the crowd favorite at the grand opening, with over 160 sold.

Cold Stone Creamery^® has continued to make strong key moves into the international market in recent years. The international growth of Cold Stone Creamery began in November 2005 when the first international Cold Stone Creamery store opened in Tokyo, Japan. Today, Cold Stone Creamery stores are operating in over 300 international locations and in over 27 countries abroad, including Japan, Kuwait, Qatar, Trinidad, Brazil, Nigeria, Egypt, Canada and Indonesia.

Tablez Food Company
Tablez Food Company specializes in unique home grown and franchised concepts that offer both international and local cuisines. The company is dedicated to creativity and innovation in seeking out new concepts that bring truly inspiring experiences to its customers and currently operates 30 outlets spread across the UAE and India. In India, Tablez Food Company operates Bloomsbury's Restaurant™ and owns the franchise rights of the authentic flame grilled chicken concept Galito's™ in India and Sri Lanka. Cold Stone Creamery is the latest addition to the ever-expanding portfolio of the company in the sub-continent. In the UAE, Tablez Food Company operates home grown concepts Peppermill™ – a premium casual dining restaurant offering colonial Indian cuisine and Bloomsbury's – a boutique café and artisan bakery and are partnered with leading franchised concepts including Galito's™, London Dairy™, Genghis Grill™, Famous Dave's™ and Sugar Factory™. For more information about Tablez Food Company, visit www.Tablez.com.

About Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery delivers the Ultimate Ice Cream Experience through a community of franchisees who are passionate about ice cream. The secret recipe for smooth and creamy ice cream is handcrafted fresh daily in each store, and then customized by combining a variety of mix-ins on a frozen granite stone. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Cold Stone Creamery is owned by parent company Kahala Brands^™, one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world, with a portfolio of 18 quick-service restaurant concepts. The Cold Stone Creamery brand operates approximately 1,500 locations in over 27 countries.

About "Made Fresh"
In Cold Stone Creamery locations across the world, ice cream is hand-crafted in small batches – one flavor at a time. Cold Stone Creamery starts with the highest quality cream, sugar and flavorings to make its ice cream fresh in the back of each of its stores. This small-batch process ensures customers receive the richest, creamiest, most delicious ice cream when they visit a Cold Stone Creamery store.

For more information about Cold Stone Creamery, visit www.ColdStoneCreamery.com.

For more information about Kahala Brands, visit www.KahalaBrands.com.

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SOURCE Cold Stone Creamery

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