
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato
Be the Best Part of Someone’s Day
on long-term sustainability and profitability.
FREE INDUSTRY OUTLOOK:
The Sweet Rewards of the Frozen Dessert Industry
Let’s Get Started!
Learn Now About the Potential of the Frozen Dessert Industry
Why Own a Tifa Chocolate & Gelato Franchise?
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is the fusion of familiar and eclectic, sweet and inviting for customers and franchisees alike!
American-centric gelato flavors
What began in 2007 as an online chocolate retailer has expanded to welcome customers to come in, try any of our 24 available gelato flavors, play games, work in a relaxed place, and be part of the community with their friends and family.
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato franchises have the energy of a hyper local coffee house combined with the familiarity of the neighborhood bistro—everyone is welcome to stay a while, catch up with old friends, and enjoy delectable desserts!
We need no trends or an exclusive reputation. Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is where flavors revive memories, create special moments, and invoke feelings unlike any other. We’re often the best part of someone’s day!
Frozen Desserts Are Big Business
The American sweet tooth is often behind the making of memories, and ice cream is one of the most popular ways we indulge our sweet cravings.
The average American eats around 4 gallons of ice cream each year. It’s truly one of our favorite desserts.
The global frozen dessert market was valued, in 2020, at $106.75 billion.
With a compound annual growth rate of 5.4%, the worldwide frozen dessert market is forecast to reach $135 billion by 2025.
In the US alone, the ice cream and gelato franchise market was set to reach $5.69 billion in 2021.
According to the International Dairy Foods Association, the majority of the US-based ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturers have been in business for more than 50 years, and many are still family-owned businesses.
It’s safe to say Americans love frozen desserts.
The Difference Between
Gelato and Ice Cream
A lesser known fact is that gelato typically offers fewer calories, less sugar, and a lower fat content while being a more flavorful option than ice cream.
Gelato:
Is served at a warmer temperature
Gelato also has a lower butterfat content—between 4 to 9 percent as opposed to ice cream’s 14 to 25 percent—which intensifies the flavor.
In addition, the lower amount of air makes gelato denser and creamier, and because it’s served warmer, it doesn’t numb the taste buds quite so much.
All of these elements keep gelato’s flavors dialed up in intensity without calorie-dense ingredients.
Investment and Revenue Potential
Unlike many seasonal frozen dessert franchises that close during the winter months, Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is open throughout the year. We are able to do this because we offer multiple revenue streams besides gelato. Our espressos and teas, cookies and pastries, and artisan chocolate truffles bring our loyal customers in during even cold winter months, and we keep people happy with unique, seasonal flavors, too. It’s how Tifa Chocolate & Gelato spreads the warmth and keeps our cafés busy no matter the time of year. While summer is big for gelato, our locations keep the fires burning throughout winter.
In spite of this, a Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is not as expensive an investment as some other franchises. Savvy investors will find that sweet spot with Tifa Chocolate & Gelato.
The initial investment range is between $318,200 and $509,400. This includes the franchise fee of $47,500.
Our Sweetness is Expanding!
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato currently operates franchise locations in California, Arizona, and North Carolina. The goodness of Tifa Chocolate & Gelato, however, is available in as many as 34 states! If you’re an entrepreneur with a passion for your community, love the small business space, and have the ability to manage a team with positivity and a welcoming smile, you may make the ideal Tifa Chocolate & Gelato franchisee.
We’re seeking owner/operators with strong face-to-face networking skills and a familiarity with top-notch customer experience business models to expand the Tifa Chocolate & Gelato brand. The gelato reputation in Europe is often one of trends and exclusionary tastes. We are the opposite, opening the gelato experience to everyone with the emphasis on American-centric flavor profiles.
We believe our vision for Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is one that compliments foodie scenes in cities across the United States, where the café is inviting, the flavors call to customers, and the twists on classic recipes turn customers into repeat patrons who become friends.
Our franchise is attractive to:
Corporate professionals looking for a community-based career transition
Foodie-minded individuals looking for a new career path
We Support Our Franchisees
What Does Sweet Success Start With? The Tifa Support Promise to Franchisees
We want what our franchisees want—a dessert shop that thrives. To that end, we do everything we can to start our franchisees off right.
Our franchisees receive:
*Training includes how to make the gelato, sorbetto, and all recipes (including seasonal flavors)
At Tifa Chocolate & Gelato, the table is the centerpiece of the kitchen, and the kitchen is the heart of a welcoming home. We’re ready to welcome new franchisees to our table and into our kitchen, where we make the magic happen.
Testimonials
Meet Our CEO – Mike Ashamalla

Mike Ashamalla partnered with wife Denise, son Shawn Orr, and daughter Candace Roño to infuse Tifa Chocolate & Gelato with the fun and comfort of family.
They already worked well together, and it was effortless to bring their love of food into the family business.
Tifa began as an online chocolate retail company in 2007 and quickly expanded into the brick-and-mortar location of Tifa Chocolate & Gelato in Agoura Hills, California in 2008.
Instead of the usual unfeeling, chilly atmosphere of the common frozen yogurt or ice cream shop, Tifa Chocolate & Gelato offers customers a warm, inviting space to get comfortable, hang out around the kitchen table, and make new memories while sampling as many of the 24 gelato flavors as their hearts desire.
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is a place for people of the community to relax, enjoy a sweet treat, invoke the feelings of togetherness with those around them, and stay as long as they like in the café’s homey atmosphere.
FREE INDUSTRY OUTLOOK:
The Sweet Rewards of the Frozen Dessert Industry
Steps to Ownership
Ready to open a Tifa Chocolate & Gelato franchise in your community?
1
Complete the Form and Download our Industry Outlook Booklet
Our industry outlook provides information about the frozen dessert industry and what sets us apart from the competition.
2
Introduction Call (5-10 mins)
We’ll answer initial questions and talk about qualifications.
3
Conversion Call
(1 hr)
During this call with the entire corporate team, we’ll get to know each other further and share details on how we help you to succeed.
4
Start-up and Funding Workshop
Complete funding determination.
5
Post FDD Workshop
Cover the details of the FDD and ask questions on FDD, Real Estate, Territories, etc.
6
Discovery Day
Visit our home office and multiple locations and meet our CEO Mike Ashamalla and the rest of the corporate team.
7
Signing of Franchise Agreements
Upon mutual agreement, you’ll sign your Franchise Agreement.
8
Photoshoot: YOU are a Franchisee of Tifa Chocolate & Gelato!
Plug into our brand, and aggressively start the site selection, training, and onboarding process!