Tariq Farid
Tariq Farid is the Founder of Edible Arrangements, the fruit arrangement franchise with 1,200+ stores worldwide. A Pakistani-American entrepreneur, he started his first business at 17 and grew Edible Arrangements into a global brand. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009.
Tariq Farid's Bio
Tariq Farid is a Pakistani-American entrepreneur who founded Edible Brands, the parent company of Edible Arrangements, the world's largest fresh fruit arrangement company. Edible Arrangements pioneered artistically designed fruit arrangements, combining floral design with fresh produce to create a new category in the gifting market.
Farid's entrepreneurial instincts showed early — he started his first successful business at age 17. In 1999, he opened the first Edible Arrangements store in East Haven, Connecticut, with a simple idea: turn ordinary fruit into edible bouquets. When he applied for a $120,000 bank loan to launch the business, it was rejected. "Because no one thought the idea was going to work," he recalled. Undeterred, he built the company from that single storefront.
The business expanded rapidly through franchising and grew into a global enterprise with over 1,200 locations. In recent years the company rebranded from Edible Arrangements to simply "Edible." This change reflected its expanded fresh-gift portfolio. Today Edible generates approximately $600 million in annual revenue and operates in multiple countries, making Farid one of America's most successful immigrant entrepreneurs.
Farid's story has been featured on NPR's How I Built This with Guy Raz, in Fortune magazine, and on CNN. He remains actively involved in the company's vision and continues to speak about entrepreneurial resilience, immigrant success, and turning unlikely ideas into lasting brands.
Career Timeline
1987 — Started first successful business at age 17
Launched first entrepreneurial venture as a teenager, demonstrating early business acumen
1999 — Bank loan rejection ($120K)
Loan application denied by bank, which doubted the viability of the fruit arrangement concept
1999 — Founded Edible Arrangements
Opened the first Edible Arrangements store in East Haven, Connecticut
2017 — Featured on NPR's How I Built This
National radio interview with Guy Raz on the story of building Edible Arrangements
2019 — Reached 1,200+ franchise locations at Edible Arrangements
Milestone achievement two decades after founding, spanning multiple countries
2023 — Company rebranded to Edible
Evolved brand identity from Edible Arrangements to 'Edible' to reflect expanded product portfolio
