Start a Jeremiah's Italian Ice Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #148 Ranked #157 last year

Initial investment: $295K - $744K

Units as of 2025: 176 107.1% over 3 years

With various gelato, ice cream, and Italian ice, Jeremiah’s Italian Ice believes it is a demonstrated expert of frozen treats working to conquer the southern United States. Jeremiah’s Italian Ice is known for its gelati which combines Italian ice and smooth ice cream in rich layers.

Founded in 1996, Jeremiah’s Italian Ice started its journey thanks to founder Jeremy Litwack and his college studies in marketing coupled with his high school job as an ice cream vendor. Litwack sold his first franchise in 2019, and with over 25 franchises in many states, your Jeremiah's Italian Ice franchise could be next.

Why You May Want To Start a Jeremiah’s Italian Ice Franchise

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice is looking for a franchisee dedicated to outstanding service, authenticity, and above all, being cool. The ideal candidate is resourceful, timely, strategic, and persistent. If this tenacious spirit of ingenuity sounds like you, opening a Jeremiah’s Italian Ice may be easier than ever. The potential responsibilities of a franchisee include engaging with customers and clients, developing marketing strategies, and overseeing day-to-day operations.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice is designed to operate out of anything ranging from small facilities to full-blown, indoor sit-down locations. Their menu strategy allows for a simple and streamlined system that provides over forty flavors for a memorable and flavorful experience.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice has been ranked in Entrepreneur’s Top New Franchises list. This ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

What Might Make a Jeremiah’s Italian Ice a Good Choice?

Opening a Jeremiah’s Italian Ice franchise may offer a more predictable outcome than investing in a completely new brand that could struggle to thrive in an already crowded and competitive industry.

To be part of the Jeremiah’s Italian Ice team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company’s set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice has partnered with third-party financial lenders that may help cover the costs of the franchise fee, startup, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, and payroll.

How To Open a Jeremiah’s Italian Ice Franchise

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. Ensure that you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a Jeremiah’s Italian Ice franchise would do well in your community. You may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the team any questions.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice provides franchisees with a tenured team of experts in business that have been in the game for years. Training includes multiple days at a certified training store and a partnership with Pivotal Growth Partners, who have led other brands to award-winning growth.

Company Overview

About Jeremiah's Italian Ice

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Ices, Frozen Desserts, Desserts
Founded	1996
Parent Company	Jeremiah's Italian Ice Holdings LLC
Leadership	Michael Keller, President & CEO
Corporate Address	1011 E. Colonial Dr., #201 Orlando, FL 32803
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2019 (6 years)
# of employees at HQ	27
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia
# of Units	176 (as of 2025)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Jeremiah's Italian Ice franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$30,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$294,817 - $743,725
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$300,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$150,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	20% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	6%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	4.5%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Jeremiah's Italian Ice has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	128 hours
Classroom Training	26.5 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes