Success Story - Papa John’s: Exporting Good Taste

With over 3000 units worldwide, Papa John's International Pizza Co. is the fastest growing pizza chain in the U.S. – and with the help of the U.S. Commercial Service, is becoming a household name around the world. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's is rapidly expanding its international franchises in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Papa John’s had to look no further than its local Louisville U.S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC) to find the export counseling it needed to find international success.

During the past several years, Papa John’s has worked closely with the Louisville USEAC and our international offices to find global opportunities. The Commercial Service provided intensive counseling, market research, franchise event information, and trade contacts that have been vital to Papa John's expansion. Papa John’s made extensive use made extensive use of the Gold Key Service, trade missions, and other franchisee search services in numerous markets to satiate the worldwide demand for its pizza.

With its market open to U.S. franchises, Portugal was a natural fit for the pizza company. In 2003, Papa John’s used the Gold Key Service to help the firm locate master franchisee candidates. The Portugal office provided detailed guidance about the Portuguese market and coordinated the firm's meetings with franchisees. As a result of this assistance, Papa John's signed a master franchisee for the Portuguese market, and plans to open 50 units in the country.