Michel’s

What Michel’s does

Michel's is an Australian online retail shop headquartered on the Gold Coast, founded in 1990, that sells sweets, cakes, coffee, and savories to consumers via its website (michels.com.au). The business operates with a small team of 11-50 employees and is privately held. The source material provided does not contain product-level, technology, or revenue detail specific to Michel's beyond the firmographic description; substantive operational and product data in the input describes a much larger publicly listed multi-brand retail food franchise operator headquartered at Robina, Queensland, which owns and operates 8 franchise brand concepts spanning donuts (Donut King, Donut King Occasions), coffeehouse (Gloria Jean's), bakery (Brumby's), pizza (Crust Pizza), beef burgers (Beefy's), submarine sandwiches (Firehouse Subs), and barbecue (Rack 'em Bones), and additionally operates a vertically integrated coffee roasting and supply business serving its franchise network. The relationship between Michel's and the broader franchise operator described is not explicitly stated in the input.

The franchise operator's revenue mechanics rely on two streams: (1) franchise fees and ongoing royalties from franchise partners who operate branded retail locations across Australia and internationally, and (2) revenue from its in-house coffee roasting and supply operations. Franchise recruitment is conducted through dedicated Australian and International enquiry portals, and consumer engagement is driven through individual brand websites, a corporate news and media section, and seasonal product launches (e.g., Christmas flavours, a TABASCO Halloween donut, a Brumby's Pistachio & Dubai Choc range, and Crust Pizza promotional delivery offers). Customer segments are horizontal: franchise partners (primary) seeking established brand equity and operational systems, and end-consumers (secondary) purchasing branded food and beverage products at retail locations. Pricing for franchise opportunities is not publicly disclosed; prospective operators are directed through enquiry funnels.

Name

Michel’s

Legal name

Retail Food Group

Website

https://michels.com.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Michel's is an Australian online shop on the Gold Coast selling sweets, cakes, coffee, and savories to consumers, founded in 1990 and operating with 11-50 employees. Source material also describes a related multi-brand franchise operator running 8 food brands and a coffee roasting business across Australia and international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Food Retail

NAICS

Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Patisseries & Dessert Boutiques (CRAHAGAB)

Keywords

• Online bakery
• Specialty confectionery
• Cakes and sweets
• Coffee retail
• Savory pastries

Headquarters

HQ city

Gold Coast

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Franchise Operations: Revenue generated through ownership and operation of multiple food and beverage franchise brands including Donut King, Gloria Jean's, Brumby's, Crust Pizza, Beefy's, Firehouse Subs, and Rack 'em Bones. Franchisees pay franchise fees and ongoing royalties in exchange for brand usage, operational support, and supply chain access.
2. Coffee Roasting and Supply: RFG is a roaster and supplier of high-quality coffee products, providing coffee supply to its franchise network and potentially external customers.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Michel's operates an online shop at michels.com.au through which individual customers in Australia can order sweets, cakes, coffee, and savories. The business is positioned as a specialty food retailer with a Gold Coast base, founded in 1990, and serves consumers directly rather than acting as a marketplace for third-party sellers.

Product overview

Retail Food Group operates as a multi-brand retail food franchise company offering a portfolio of eight distinct franchise brands spanning multiple food categories. The company functions both as a franchise operator (managing the brands) and as a coffee roaster and supplier, providing high-quality coffee products to its franchise network. The brand portfolio includes donut/bakery concepts (Donut King, Donut King Occasions, Brumby's Bakery), coffeehouse (Gloria Jean's), pizza (Crust Pizza), beef/burgers (Beefy's), submarine sandwiches (Firehouse Subs), and barbecue (Rack 'em Bones). The franchise brands operate independently while benefiting from centralized corporate support and the company's coffee supply capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sweets

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• San Churro: Australian specialty dessert and chocolate café franchise chain serving churros, desserts, and beverages. Competes with Michel’s for the same discretionary dessert occasion and customer segment via a similar storefront dessert-café format.
• Laurent Bakery: Australian specialty patisserie and boulangerie chain serving cakes, pastries, breads, and coffee. Direct competitor to Michel’s in the Australian patisserie category with a similar product mix and cafe-style retail format.
• Brumby's Bakery: Australian bakery franchise brand owned by Retail Food Group (same franchise group referenced in Michel’s data). Brumby’s sells bread, pastries, and baked goods through franchised retail stores, making it the closest direct competitor to Michel’s patisserie concept in the Australian specialty bakery segment.
• The Cheesecake Shop: Australia’s largest specialty cheesecake and dessert cake retailer with a national franchise footprint and online ordering platform. Directly comparable to Michel’s in terms of dessert/cake retail format, customer demographic, and online-offline ordering model.

Emerging players

• Adriano Zumbo: Australian specialty patisserie and dessert brand focused on high-end cakes, macarons, and designer desserts. Represents a premium-segment comparable to Michel’s in patisserie category and customer demographic.
• Black Star Pastry: Premium Australian patisserie brand known for high-profile signature cakes and pastries. Competes with Michel’s at the premium end of the patisserie category, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, attracting design-conscious and gift-oriented customers.

Broad incumbents

• Krispy Kreme: Global specialty donut and sweet treat chain with a strong Australian retail presence. Competes with Michel’s for sweet treat and gifting occasions through a multi-location specialty retail format with growing online ordering.
• Donut King: Australian donut and sweet treat franchise brand also under the Retail Food Group portfolio. Shares the sweet-treat retail occasion with Michel’s and competes for the same impulse-purchase and gifting occasions through a franchise store model.
• Gloria Jean's Coffees: Major Australian coffeehouse franchise also owned by Retail Food Group (same group referenced in Michel’s data). While coffee-focused rather than patisserie-focused, Gloria Jean’s shares overlapping customer occasion (coffee + sweet treats) and operates through the same franchise network model.
• The Coffee Club: Australia’s largest café franchise group serving coffee, all-day brunch, and sweet treats. Comparable to Michel’s in offering coffee alongside sweet and savory items through a franchised store network targeting similar daypart occasions.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights3 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MichelsCoffee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/michelles-patisserie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 records

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 Michel’s