Cauldron Ice Cream, the popular Orange County-based concept known for its innovative ice cream flavors and viral OG Puffle cone, has signed a multi-unit franchise deal that will bring five locations to Northern California over the next five years. The ice cream concept plans to open shops in San Jose, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara. These will be Cauldron’s first locations outside of Southern California, where the concept currently operates stores in Santa Ana, Artesia, and Glendale, with San Diego and Chino Hills in progress.
Founded by Terence Lioe and Desiree Le in 2015, Cauldron quickly attracted media attention from Cosmopolitan, People Magazine, Bustle, and more for their all-natural, made-to-order liquid nitrogen ice cream served in their signature OG Puffle Cone, an egg-based waffle cone inspired by a popular Hong Kong street snack. Cauldron’s small batch ice cream is offered as a traditional scoop or shaped like a rose, and comes in a variety of unique flavors including Earl Grey Lavender, Milk and Cereal, H20 Rose, and fan favorites like Sea Salted Caramel Crunch and S’mores. In addition to their menu mainstays, Cauldron also routinely introduces new seasonal and monthly offerings to keep flavors fresh and intriguing.
Santa Clara County local and food industry veteran Gurpreet Bola is the franchisee who will bring the viral ice cream concept to Northern California. Bola was initially attracted to Cauldron Ice Cream for its minimal food waste, simple operational model, and low costs, but also firmly believes in the longevity of the brand.
“When I saw that Cauldron was run so successfully, I knew this was a model I could be part of for the long term,” says Bola. “I believe in Terence and Desiree and their ability to continually improve the customer experience while producing the best product on the market. Ice cream has been around for a long time, and I have confidence that shops like Cauldron will allow it to always be in demand.”
Cauldron Ice Cream is partnered with Fransmart, the industry-leading franchise development company behind the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys Burgers and Fries, The Halal Guys, and Qdoba Mexican Grill, as their exclusive franchise development partner to grow the brand. The concept is currently looking for experienced multi-unit foodservice operators to develop franchise territories in major markets.
