Paciugo franchise
2022 filing · April 8, 2022Fewer locations
Paciugo at a glance
A gelato café serving Italian gelato and sorbetto made in small batches, with coffee and desserts. At the end of 2021 there were 25 Paciugo locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Paciugo Franchise International, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2004
- 18 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Dallas, Texas
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $233K–$522K
- A Paciugo caffè
- Franchise fee
- $20,000
- Or $15,000 for each additional store
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 50% of our then-current initial franchise fee
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 25
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 25
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- −6
- Franchised locations, 2019–2021
- States
- 5
- Most in Texas, California and Colorado
Support and records
- Lawsuits disclosed
- None
- Franchisor revenue, 2021
- $440K
- The company, not one location
- Franchisor net income
- $46K
- Latest filing
- Apr 8, 2022
- 2022 filing
From Paciugo Franchise International, LLC’s 2022 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 61; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Paciugo among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Paciugo | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $377,475 | Costs more than 52% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $20,000 | Lower than 89% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 25 | More than 53% of franchises |
How much a Paciugo franchise costs
Opening a Paciugo caffè costs an estimated $232,700 to $522,250. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($73,000 to $206,000) and furniture, fixtures, equipment, and signage ($115,000 to $198,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $15,000 | $20,000 | |
| Initial Application and Document Preparation Fee | $250 | $750 | |
| Site Selection Assistance | $0 | $1,000 | |
| First Month’s Rent and Security Deposit | $2,000 | $10,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $73,000 | $206,000 | |
| Store Design Consulting Services | $0 | $1,500 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment, and Signage | $115,000 | $198,000 | |
| Initial Training Costs | $500 | $4,000 | |
| Pre-Opening Consultation | $0 | $1,000 | |
| Opening Assistance Costs | $0 | $5,000 | |
| Computer Hardware and Software | $4,000 | $8,000 | |
| Initial Inventory/Supplies | $8,000 | $10,000 | |
| Professional Services | $1,200 | $4,000 | |
| Opening Advertising Expenses | $3,500 | $10,000 | |
| Insurance | $250 | $3,000 | |
| Additional Funds(15) (three months) | $10,000 | $40,000 | |
| Total | $232,700 | $522,250 |
Source: Paciugo Franchise International, LLC, 2022 filing, page 19
Paciugo franchise fee
The franchise fee is $20,000, or $15,000 for each additional store. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Paciugo Franchise International, LLC, 2022 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
| Online Ordering | Up to $200 per month; $0 as of the date of this disclosure document |
| Renewal Fee | 50% of our then-current initial franchise fee |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Paciugo Franchise International, LLC, 2022 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from pages 15–16. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Paciugo does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Paciugo Franchise International, LLC, 2022 filing, page 45
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $300K–$520K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Paciugo franchisees
Lenders approved 35 SBA-backed loans for Paciugo franchisees from 2006 to 2024, $8.33M in all: 34 7(a) loans and 1 504 loan. Of the 32 that have ended, 15 were paid in full and 17 were charged off (53.1%). The other 3 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2021 / 2019–2021. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Paciugo | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −11% / −19% | +6.2% / +18% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 14% / 48% | 2.4% / 9.5% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical ice cream brand is the median of the 33 brands in ice cream franchises with three years of counts.
How Paciugo compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, Paciugo is the 33rd cheapest to open and the 43rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Paciugo | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $233K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $522K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $20K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 25 | 18 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 76 of 101 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 101 brands in ice cream franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 28 (−3) | 1 | +4 | −7 |
| 2020 | 28 (0) | 0 | +4 | −4 |
| 2021 | 25 (−3) | 0 | +1 | −4 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: ice cream franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Paciugo Franchise International, LLC, 2022 filing, page 46
Where Paciugo locations are
At the end of 2021, Paciugo had franchised locations in 5 states. The most are in Texas, California and Colorado.
- Texas21
- California1
- Colorado1
- Florida1
- Oklahoma1
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Texas | 21 |
| California | 1 |
| Colorado | 1 |
| Florida | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 1 |
Source: Paciugo Franchise International, LLC, 2022 filing, page 47
Who owns Paciugo?
Paciugo franchises are sold by Paciugo Franchise International, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Paciugo Franchise International, LLC’s 2022 filing, page 8.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | The previous Paciugo franchisor and its affiliates filed for Chapter 11 in September 2017; the court approved the sale of its assets to the current franchisor in October 2017, and the case closed in March 2019. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Paciugo Franchise International, LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 11
Paciugo filings
The figures on this page come from Paciugo Franchise International, LLC’s 2022 filing, issued April 8, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | April 8, 2022 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2019–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other ice cream franchises
All ice cream franchises
Paciugo is also on these lists: coffee franchises, food franchises.