In February of 2000, Greg Petro and Ben Kitay, two Coca-Cola Company vice presidents, noticed the popularity of crepes in Japan. They liked crepes, their children liked crepes, and eager Japanese consumers lined up 20 deep to buy crepes.

Greg and Ben also noticed that the crepe shops all seemed to be independent operators and small chains, with no dominant brand in the market. Surely a strong brand selling this product could sweep Japan and be a force in the food service business. These shops were generating an annual $200,000 to $1,000,000 a year out of 100-square-foot buildings!

So Greg and Ben decided to develop a premium crepe brand in Japan. They scoured Japan looking for the best-tasting crepe. They found what they were looking for in Harajuku, a small part of Tokyo popular among Japanese youngsters.

   There were six crepe shops in Harajuku, but one shop was doing more business than the rest. The reason was simple: the recipe used by this crepe shop was different. It was softer, moister, sweeter, and tastier. The kids loved it so much they spent $800,000 per year at that one little shop.

Greg and Ben wanted that recipe. They did a little digging and found that the shop was owned by former Drexel-Burnham investment banker Shokiji Shimizu and his partner Hiromi Keino under the name of Craft Fooz.

Craft Fooz was started as a vehicle to own that one crepe shop. Little did Shimizu-san and Keino-san know that two former Coca-Cola executives were about to walk into their office and discuss building a world-class crepe chain. But walk in they did, and a partnership was formed under the Crazy Crepes� LLC banner.

The company spent six months in the U.S. developing the recipe for an improved crepe. Working with acclaimed food scientist, Dr. Percie Lamar of Memphis, TN, they developed a recipe that was light, sweet, soft, and perfect.

In November 2000, the company opened the first Crazy Crepes in Marietta, GA. Then the first Japanese Crazy Crepes outlet opened in Osaka one week after the Marietta opening. Within 12 months, Crazy Crepes had grown to ten outlets, with fifty more planned for the year 2002. By Spring 2003, Crazy Crepes had over 50 locations in Japan and the USA, and they are opening 1 store per week.

Crazy Crepes is now the leading crepe chain in the U.S. and Japan. The company is focused on providing the best-tasting crepe around the world.