Smoothie King Franchises Inc. (doing business as Smoothie King) is an American privately held company that operates a chain of retail stores that specialize in selling smoothies. Founded in 1973, the company was bought by South Korean franchisee Wan Kim in 2012. In the late 2010s, the company was focusing on whole and unmodified ingredients.
Corporate history
Smoothie King was founded in 1973 in Kenner, Louisiana, by Steve and Cindy Kuhnau.[7]
The company expanded internationally in the early 2000s, with its first overseas franchise opening in South Korea in either 2002 or 2003.[8] Within six years, franchisee Wan Kim had opened more than 100 locations in the country.[9]
In 2012, Kim acquired Smoothie King from the Kuhnaus and secured US$58 million in growth capital from Standard Chartered Private Equity and the National Pension Fund of Korea to expand the brand.[10]