Hot on the heels of launching its franchise opportunity, Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, a Florida-based frozen treats franchise, has signed its very first Area Representative Agreement to develop 16 locations throughout North Florida and various parts of South Georgia.
The development deal has been signed with KBK Enterprises, LLC, whose partners possess more than 60 years of combined experience in various industries, including healthcare, restaurant and franchising. In addition to opening one Jeremiah’s franchise of their own in Tallahassee, Florida, they will oversee the franchise development of the remaining locations throughout a 10-county territory across North Florida and South Georgia, as well as provide operational support for those stores during their ongoing growth.
“We’re taking a culture-centered approach to growth, which means we’re focused on aligning the interests of our brand with our people at every level, from in-store crew members to franchisees to area representatives,” says Jeremiah’s founder and CEO Jeremy Litwack. “We’ve been scooping up our tasty frozen treats for nearly 25 years, and I am confident that the team at KBK Enterprises is the right group to drive our expansion in a new region with so much potential.”
Founded in 1996 and franchising since late last year, Jeremiah’s frozen treats have swept across Florida and gained a loyal customer base. Each store boasts an upbeat atmosphere full of vibrant colors and offers over 40 flavors of indulgent high-quality Italian Ice, as well as creamy Soft Ice Cream. A synthesis of these two core products, the Jeremiah’s Gelati is the showcase of the menu with layers of Italian Ice swirled with thick, homemade Soft Ice Cream, offering nearly limitless flavor combinations.
In addition to being the place to go for delicious frozen treats, Jeremiah’s prides itself on becoming a community touchstone everywhere they go. Lines regularly wrap around the stores signaling to each and every passersby that they’re the place to be.
“We’ve catered birthdays, weddings, sports events, and just about any type of event you can imagine,” says Litwack. “Our locations have been the sites of marriage proposals, anniversary dates and after school hangouts. We have been grateful for the opportunity to become a community hub at each of our locations. Our fans know that when they’re here, they’re Living Life to the Coolest.”
The signing of the area representative agreement with KBK Enterprises comes at a time when Jeremiah’s is poised to become the premier frozen dessert franchise of the new decade. In the six months since launching its franchise opportunity, Jeremiah’s has already sold more than 75 franchises to more than 30 franchisee groups, including its first out of state locations in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. Among the signed development deals, 20 are multi-unit contracts, and the brand is on track to have 100 stores open or in development in the next two years.
Including a franchise fee of $30,000, the investment range to open a traditional 800-1,200 square foot location is $221,105-$486,618. The investment range for a 175-250 square foot co-brand/kiosk franchise is $98,755-$202,290, which includes a $15,000 franchise fee.