Mariam Abdulrahim aims to refresh the region and parts of Asia with her frozen yogurt creations as she begins to franchise her brainchild, Purple Swirl. The Bahrain-based yogurt shop, located across the kingdom, might be popping up in India, Abu Dhabi, Oman and Qatar in the near future.
The 28-year-old mother of Rashid, who is two-and-a-half, is excited about spreading her love for yogurt and her ‘swirl concept’ internationally. Mariam said: “I have always wanted to start a business in Bahrain and then launch it abroad. What’s thrilling is that it was born here. “My aim is that by the end of 2014 I have some franchise agreements in place. We have already started agreement talks with lawyers in countries that have shown a lot of interest such as India, UAE and Saudi Arabia. I will basically give them the formula and then they can run with it. “To see this dream become a reality is unbelievable.” Purple Swirl opened its doors in 2010 in Al A’ali Mall and according to Mariam it opened with a bang. Mariam says she couldn’t have done it without the loving support of her husband, Kamal Murad, the director of investments in Al Rajhi Holdings, who advised her to create a professional and strong team to make the transition into a franchise easier, as the operation is now standardised. She said: “The first three months we were open, it went with a bang. We were overwhelmed by how busy we were and how many sales we were generating. We were selling up to 200 cups a day on a weekend, for example. “I knew people loved yogurt but it surpassed my expectations.” It quickly captured the hearts of the health conscious in Bahrain and as word spread about the tasty alternative to fattening ice cream business began to grow. Soon, the organic and fat free delights was found in Riffa and Amwaj Islands. There is also a booth in Saar close to the recently-opened Geant easy store. Mariam is currently working on opening two more Swirls, one in Riffa Views and the other in Juffair. Aside from her outlets, she does catering for weddings, birthday parties and has mobile machines in different locations. Mariam said: “We have catered to weddings and are a big hit with children’s birthday parties. We even offer yogurt with cones. The kids love our yogurt so much so that we even sell it at Ballare Studio School of Performing Arts in Saar three times a week. “We also sell Purple Swirl at Sofitel Hotel in Zallaq. Our flavours are unique and so is our self-serve concept.” According to the yogurt queen, swirling your favourite yogurt is as easy as one, two, three! You simply select your preferred size, choose from the variety of flavours and daily selection of fresh fruit or dry toppings. Then you weigh the cup and pay by the gram. Mariam said: “We are a very different concept than other yogurt suppliers in Bahrain. We are self-serve. If you want only a little bit of yogurt and fill your cup with fruit then that is your call. You pay for what you take. “Our main flavours are Taro and Original. Taro is from the sweet potato family and it’s purple. It tastes just like a cake. Everyone is always asking about it and if we don’t have it they will call to complain. Original has the least calories, no fat and less sugar. “We also have flavours such as green tea, peanut butter, cookies and cream, black cherry, devils chocolate, hazelnut, coffee, pistachio and more.” Mariam compliments her yogurt with coffee and blended drinks. She added: “We have a different collection of things to cater to everyone. The mums will come and enjoy a cup of coffee with their yogurt or bring the kids along for yogurt. “We get some days when kids come straight from school, with their mums, still in their uniforms. On some occasions we will get a chairman of a bank with his wife sitting down for coffee and yogurt. “My father-in-law holds weekly meetings here. We are thinking of putting in sofas and chairs. We cater to everyone. The way I see it, Purple Swirl has become a healthy way to get together and have fun.” Mariam has always been a fan of yogurt. She said: “My mum is half Syrian and half Lebanese and whatever she made at home always had yogurt in it. We would have it with everything. We are comfortable with yogurt in our family. That’s another reason why I did this. “I want my son to be aware of yogurt the way I was. Also, during my university studies in the US and when my family lived there we didn’t go a day without it. I wanted to tap into and accelerate the yogurt craze …. but in Bahrain. “My mum is very impressed with how far my yogurt shop idea has come and I am very proud of where it is today. I just can’t wait to see where it will go next.” When Mariam isn’t found swirling cups of yogurt, she is busy managing her other businesses. She founded a medi-spa called On The Glow in Riffa which offers tanning, hair removal and body treatments. She also started Purple Patchouli in Al A’ali Mall which is a salon, spa and boutique where she sells accessories, make-up, shoes, sandals and clothing. Purple Swirl is open from 9am to 10pm. For further details, contact 17583444, email info@purpleswirlcafe.com or follow Purple Swirl on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @purpleswirlcafe.
