Mexicali Fresh buys up Burger Wisconsin chain

Burger franchise Burger Wisconsin has been sold to the owners of Mexicali fresh. Photo / Hawkes Bay Today.

New Zealand's oldest gourmet burger franchise chain Burger Wisconsin, has been bought by the parent company of Mexican food franchise Mexicali Fresh for an undisclosed sum.

The burger chain, which began in the Wellington suburb of Wadestown in 1989 and now has 22 stores across the country, was bought by Mariposa Restaurant Holdings (MRH).

The burger chain was founded by Mick Davenport and sold to Steve Hanna and Tim Stewart in 2005.

It claims to have introduced the combinations of avocado and bacon, and camembert and cranberry to the New Zealand takeaway food market.

Mexicali Fresh, which currently has 11 stores across the country, celebrates its 10th anniversary next month.

MRH general manager Nathan Bonney said there were "strong synergies" between the two chains, both operated a successful franchise model, offered fresh hand-prepared food and offered great opportunities for their franchisees.

MRH had built a robust franchise support and management team, which could be rolled out to other brands, Bonney said.

"Our tried and tested franchise system offers a number of benefits, especially when it comes to driving economies of scale in purchasing, management, administration and marketing.

"There is a real opportunity here to drive and support growth for both brands."

Conor Kerlin, co-founder of Mexicali Fresh. Photo / Dean Purcell.

Burger Wisconsin had also stayed true to its original mission statement of bringing gourmet burgers to the suburbs, Bonney said.

MRH brand spokesman Conor Kerlin said the gourmet burger sector was a hot, high-growth category and Burger Wisconsin had a highly positive reputation.

"Over the past 25 years it has built an incredibly loyal customer base spanning two generations. That's a really solid foundation for growth.

"We're delighted to be able to announce this deal and are very excited about the future for both our brands and for MRH."