Looking to capitalize on the growing popularity of gelato is Morano Gelato, a New England-based franchise that Forbes magazine previously recognized as having “the best gelato in America.”

With two shops already open and operating in Massachusetts and New Hampshire along with two new franchisees that recently signed in New Hampshire and New Jersey, Morano Gelato is looking to add 8 to 12 new franchisees per year nationwide. For Morano Gelato, this is a healthy growth rate, which allows the company to focus on quality franchisees.

“The growth and popularity of gelato, which to this point, has been northern Italian gelato, continues to gain momentum in the country as consumers increasingly gravitate towards artisan products,” says Morgan Morano, founder of Morano Gelato and author of The Art of Making Gelato. “What separates us from the other gelato concepts, however, is our efforts to bring authentic Sicilian gelato to the United States and that we make each and every batch fresh each morning so consumers are eating our gelato within minutes to hours of extraction. Additionally, our experience is a lot more authentic and we aim to educate our customers on the tradition of gelato-making and how it differs from American ice cream.”

Morano gained 15 years of experience in the food industry working and cooking in New York City and Italy. During one winter in Italy, Morgan worked as an assistant gelato-maker for a Sicilian gelato chef in Florence who taught her the true art of gelato-making. Combining her teachings from the gelateria with the skills she learned in culinary school, she set out to bring artisanal, Sicilian-style gelato to America.

“While in Italy, it didn’t take long for me to appreciate the many bold flavors of gelato and recognize the lack of truly authentic gelato in America,” Morano says. “Disappointed with the products claiming to be ‘gelato,’ I set out to establish the tradition of gelato-making in America and recreate pure Italian gelato.”

Each Morano Gelato shop makes 16 different flavors of traditional Sicilian-style gelato from scratch, every morning, sourcing important ingredients from local farms and communities. In its on-going commitment to making traditional and unique Italian flavors, many of Morano Gelato’s ingredients come directly from Italy as well. The flavors change daily and seasonally.

“We take tremendous pride in our high standards and traditionalism during a time when most gelato shops are choosing to make familiar American flavors or looking to be edgy without fully understanding the science behind gelato-making,” says Morano. “We’re devoted to improving our gelato and will continue to introduce new flavors based on those found in Italy or inspired by a community we’re in, but, our dedication to tradition will ultimately distinguish us among other gelato shops in America.”

In addition to gelato, Morano Gelato serves sorbet and granita, and a selection of traditional Italian espresso drinks using Illy espresso—one of Italy’s oldest and highest quality espresso brands based out of Northern Italy.

To augment the company’s growth and introduce even more consumers to authentic gelato, Morano Gelato is seeking owner/operators who have a passion for excellence and are excited by the idea of bringing quality products to their communities. Morano Gelato franchisees will have a unique opportunity to enter a marketplace of minimal competition.

Desserts, Franchising, Growth, News