U-SWIRL International Inc., the owner and franchisor of U-SWIRL Frozen Yogurt cafes and wholly owned subsidiary of Healthy Fast Food Inc., announced that it signed an Area Development Agreement with AV LLC to develop four franchise U-SWIRL self-serve frozen yogurt cafes in Tucson, Arizona, over the next 36 months.

Maurice Vargas, owner of several dental clinics in Las Vegas, formed AV LLC specifically to franchise U-SWIRL cafes in key markets in the southwestern U.S.

“As I was leaving my practice one night this past winter after working late to finish up some administrative duties, I was astounded by the number of people lined up outside a nearby U-SWIRL café,” Vargas says. “After all, it was 10 at night and only 37 degrees outside. I knew at that moment that this was a business that I had to learn more about.”

“After researching several frozen dessert franchise food concepts, it was apparent to me that U-SWIRL offered the most compelling business opportunity—the store economics are simply fantastic,” Vargas says. “Moreover, I was particularly impressed with Healthy Fast Food’s management, their vision for the brand and their strategies for achieving rapid national expansion. Teaming with Healthy Fast Food chairman and CEO Hank Cartwright, who has enjoyed past success in developing retail franchise concepts, was certainly part of the added attraction to U-SWIRL. However, it was after meeting Hank and each of his management team members that I was ultimately convinced that these were down-to-earth, success-minded people that I wanted to do business with.”

AV LLC is scouting commercial real estate locations in the Tucson metro area with plans to open its first U-SWIRL self-serve frozen yogurt cafe by late summer 2010.