San Gelato Cafes to go national
Two local companies are teaming up to take a cold Italian treat nationwide.
Medina Enterprises Inc. plans to franchise San Gelato Cafes to the masses, said Medina CEO Robert Morgan.
Simona and Guido Tremolini founded G.S. Gelato about 10 years ago after they arrived from Italy. The cool treat has been a hit ever since.
Morgan said G.S. Gelato was the right product at the right time in the right location.
“Gelato is the Ferrari of ice cream,” he said. “We want to do for gelato like what Starbucks did for coffee. It was a perfect fit because they were right here in our hometown.”
San Gelato Cafes are in Mary Esther, Silver Sands Factory Stores in Miramar Beach and on Okaloosa Island. After 10 years, the business is an established moneymaker, Morgan said.
Simona Tremolini agrees.
“It’s a proven concept,” she said. “Franchising has always been a dream. It was kind of locked into the dream drawer and waiting for the perfect moment.”
The perfect moment came when she read a newspaper article about how Medina took Cuppy’s Coffee national, and she decided it was the right time for gelato.
Medina plans to open about 300 franchises in the next three years, Morgan said.
He called Medina a “one-stop shop” for franchising. The company can provide training, marketing, advertising and construction for the new stores.