Famous Brands

What Famous Brands does

Famous Brands International, LLC is a Delaware-incorporated private franchisor headquartered at 430 Park Avenue, New York, and operating as a subsidiary/affiliate of Z Capital Group, LLC (ZCG). The company owns and licenses two U.S.-origin consumer snack brands — Mrs. Fields (founded 1977, cookies and brownies) and TCBY (founded in the 1980s, frozen yogurt) — neither of which involves proprietary technology beyond brand recipes, the proprietary Super Froyo classification, and the first-to-market Greek Frozen Yogurt positioning. Its core technology footprint is franchisor operations rather than a software platform: product/formula IP, franchise websites, store-locator sites, and email/social marketing infrastructure described in its Privacy Policy.

The company makes money through two primary streams: (1) franchise fees and ongoing royalties paid by franchisees for the right to operate Mrs. Fields or TCBY retail locations, and (2) licensing fees, exemplified by a February 2026 agreement with VENU+ enabling non-traditional retail placements in airports, amusement parks, arcades, and family entertainment centers. The company itself is small (101-250 employees per firmographics) and asset-light; product manufacturing and retail operations sit with franchisees. Customer segments split between B2B franchisees/entrepreneurs (the primary GTM audience for franchise sales) and B2C individual consumers purchasing cookies/brownies and frozen yogurt at more than 275 franchised locations across nine countries (U.S., Canada, Australia, China, Morocco, Panama, Taiwan, Qatar, Bahamas).

The unit economics of the underlying franchise system are currently under pressure: Mrs. Fields ended 2025 with 98 U.S. locations (down 15 YoY) and TCBY with 115 (down 10 YoY), even as the global footprint remains north of 275 shops. New leadership (Executive Director Rich Screnci, appointed 2026) and diversification into non-traditional retail via VENU+ indicate an active turnaround strategy anchored on the brands' heritage equity — Mrs. Fields' claim of highest aided brand awareness in its category and TCBY's 45+ year category leadership.

Name

Famous Brands

Legal name

Famous Brands International, LLC

Website

https://famousbrandsintl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Famous Brands International, a Delaware LLC under Z Capital Group, is the franchisor of the Mrs. Fields cookies and TCBY frozen yogurt brands, operating 275+ franchised locations across 9 countries and monetizing through franchise royalties, franchise product sales, and brand licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food and Beverage Franchising

NAICS

Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Cookies & Crackers (2052), Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)

akta.pro primary industry

Chocolate & Confectionery Shops (THAFAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cookies, Biscuits & Crackers (CRADABAD), Frozen & Refrigerated Snack Foods (Ice Cream Novelties, Snack Bites) (CRADABAL)

Keywords

• Franchise restaurant brands
• Cookie retail franchises
• Frozen yogurt franchises
• Snack food franchising
• Brand licensing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Broomfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Famous Brands International generates revenue through franchising its Mrs. Fields and TCBY brands to franchise operators. Franchisees pay initial fees and ongoing royalties in exchange for using the brand names, recipes, and operational support. The company supports franchise expansion worldwide across established and emerging markets.
2. Franchise Product Sales: Revenue generated from the sale of cookies, brownies, and frozen yogurt products through franchised locations worldwide. The company operates more than 275 franchised locations serving millions of loyal customers.
3. Licensing Agreements: The company enters into licensing agreements to expand its brands into non-traditional retail environments. VENU+ licensing agreement allows the Mrs. Fields and TCBY brands to be incorporated into airports, amusement parks, arcades, and family entertainment centers, generating licensing fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Famous Brands International is a franchisor and holding company that owns, operates, and licenses two iconic snack and dessert brands—Mrs. Fields cookies and TCBY frozen yogurt—across more than 275 franchised locations in 9 countries. The company sells franchise rights, supplies proprietary products, and provides brand, marketing, and operational support to its franchise network.

Product overview

Famous Brands International operates as a franchising business managing two iconic consumer brands: Mrs. Fields Cookies and TCBY Frozen Yogurt. The portfolio includes over 275 franchised locations worldwide. Mrs. Fields provides freshly baked cookie and brownie offerings, while TCBY delivers frozen yogurt products across multiple formats including soft-serve and hand-scooped options. Both brands maintain separate franchise opportunity websites and consumer store locators, with TCBY recently expanding into non-traditional retail venues such as airports and entertainment centers through a licensing partnership with VENU+.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mrs. Fields Cookies: Iconic cookie brand founded in 1977, offering fresh cookies and brownies through more than 150 franchised locations worldwide. Known for highest aided brand awareness in its category.
• TCBY

Products and services

• Mrs. Fields Cookies Franchise
• TCBY Frozen Yogurt Franchise

Quantifiable outcome

• Declining store counts indicate challenges: Mrs. Fields U.S. locations down 15 year-over-year (to 98), TCBY down 10 year-over-year (to 115)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VENU+coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 19 February 2026VENU+ announced a licensing agreement with Famous Brands International to incorporate the Mrs. Fields and TCBY brands into non-traditional retail environments including airports, amusement parks, arcades, and family entertainment centers. The deal enables VENU+ to bundle Famous Brands' intellectual property and franchised location offerings into commercial proposals, positioning the company as a strategic growth channel for experiential retail expansion. This partnership complements VENU+'s existing portfolio of licensed brands including Chevys Fresh Mex, Sol Mexican Cocina, and Solita Tacos & Margaritas.
• Z Capital Group, LLC (ZCG)coreOthersZ Capital Group, LLC is the parent company and affiliate of Famous Brands International. The privacy policy states that information may be shared within the 'Famous Brands and ZCG family of brands.'

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yogurtland: Self-serve frozen yogurt franchise with a similar pay-by-weight model to TCBY. Direct franchise competitor in the U.S. frozen yogurt category with comparable unit economics and target customer.
• Pinkberry: Premium frozen yogurt chain competing for the same health-positioned consumer as TCBY. Operates company-owned and franchised units in malls and urban retail, overlapping TCBY's traditional trade area.
• Crumbl Cookies: Fast-growing franchised cookie retailer with rotating weekly flavors and a strong digital/loyalty platform. Directly competes with Mrs. Fields in the cookie category and has been gaining share at the premium end.
• Nestlé Toll House Café: Licensed café concept by Nestlé featuring cookies, baked goods, and ice cream. Closely parallels Famous Brands' franchised dessert café model and competes for franchisees in malls and lifestyle centers.
• Menchie's Frozen Yogurt: Self-serve frozen yogurt franchise with rotating flavor lineup. Direct competitor to TCBY in the franchise froyo space, sharing similar unit economics and target demographics.
• Great American Cookies: Mall-based cookie cake and baked goods franchise directly comparable to Mrs. Fields. Both target impulse cookie purchases and gift occasions in similar shopping-center locations.
• Insomnia Cookies: Cookie retailer specializing in late-night delivery and college-town locations. Operates a hybrid owned-store and franchise model with a younger consumer base, competing for cookie-snacking occasions with Mrs. Fields.

Broad incumbents

• Marble Slab Creamery: Franchised premium ice cream chain offering hand-mixed frozen desserts. Overlaps with TCBY in the frozen dessert franchise category and competes for similar real estate and franchisee pool.
• Cold Stone Creamery: Large franchised ice cream chain with broader dessert menu. While primarily ice cream rather than frozen yogurt, it competes for the same franchisee capital and mall-based real estate as TCBY.
• Auntie Anne's: Large franchised snack chain (pretzels) primarily located in malls and shopping centers. Competes with Mrs. Fields and TCBY for franchisee capital and overlapping real estate, despite offering different product categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/famous-brands-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Famous Brands