Jeremiah’s Italian Ice – the premier concept in the frozen dessert category – is continuing to showcase its franchising success as the first quarter of 2023 begins with the opening of their 100th location. For Jeremiah’s, growth has come full circle from the opening of its first franchise location in 2019. The brand’s 100th unit, which opens Wednesday, January 11, is located in Winter Garden, Florida and is owned and operated by a former Jeremiah’s Italian Ice Employee and Director of Research and Development, and its very first franchisee, Irving Forestier.
Reaching the 100th store milestone is no easy feat. According to Frandata, only 16% of U.S. Franchises have more than 100 units. For nearly a decade, an average of 300 brands embark on franchising endeavors every year. In 2016, emerging franchise brands accounted for more than 15,000 franchised and company owned businesses, attesting to the growing number of emerging franchise brands in the market.
Jeremiah’s attributes their success to ensuring scalability when building their franchise program, partnering with franchise industry veteran’s Pivotal Growth Partners, to help guide the brand’s rapid expansion.
Jeremiah’s has continued its rapid growth throughout the United States with 38 new stores opened in 2022, including entry in four new territories- Colorado, Nevada, Tennessee, and Alabama- bringing Jeremiah’s delicious frozen desserts to 11 states across the country. In addition to their rapid growth, the franchise brand has been ranked in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 for 2023, jumping more than 150 spots from 2022 to #212.
Since Jeremiah’s franchise launch in 2019, the Italian Ice brand has awarded over 260 franchise units across more than 115 franchise groups, and has seen over a 350% increase in new units in less than 4 years.
“Our franchise program is still going strong,” says Jeremy Litwack, CEO and Founder of Jeremiah’s. “With a record number of stores opening in 2022, I am incredibly proud of the Jeremiah’s Frog Squad and am humbled to be part of a company that stays true to its mantra to ‘Live Life to the Coolest.” Jeremy looks forward to continuing the brand’s momentum throughout the new year and working with the team to continue providing communities with the best frozen treats available.
Throughout 2022, the Jeremiah’s team launched a number of new initiatives to further the brand and franchising efforts. One of these implementations includes freestanding builds for new locations, which was implemented at the newest Jeremiah’s location in Locust, North Carolina. These ground-up Jeremiah’s locations are expected to continue development in the coming year. Additionally, the research and development team spent the year implementing new consumer initiatives, including exciting new flavor developments and menu extensions. Jeremiah’s Italian Ice was also recognized in 2022 as one of QSR’s Best Brands to Work For and as a part of Franchise Times Top 500.The success that Jeremiah’s Italian Ice has seen in 2022 is groundbreaking, and the brand isn’t stopping there. Their franchise development and rapid growth is expected to continue at this level of success throughout 2023.
“Next year, we are targeting a record-breaking 45 new locations,” says Nicole DiPietro, Chief Operating Officer of Jeremiah’s Italian Ice. “We plan on expanding within our newer markets of Texas, Alabama, the Carolinas, Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, and Tennessee. We really want to build off of the rapid growth and the momentum of such a successful year of franchising in 2022.”