Tifa Chocolate & Gelato franchise
2026 filing · April 7, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato at a glance
A café serving handmade gelato and artisan chocolate. At the end of 2025 there were 13 Tifa Chocolate & Gelato locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- TM Tifa Foods International, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- 1,000–2,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $629K–$877K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $47,500
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross revenue, paid weekly
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 13
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 13
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- +10
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 4
- Most in California, Texas and North Carolina
Support and records
From TM Tifa Foods International, Inc’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Tifa Chocolate & Gelato | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $753,077 | Costs more than 77% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $47,500 | Higher than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 13 | Fewer than 57% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $556,596 | Lower than 66% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 0.7× | Lower than 90% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Tifa Chocolate & Gelato franchise costs
Opening one Tifa Chocolate & Gelato costs an estimated $629,143 to $877,010. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvement ($306,848 to $472,365) and kitchen equipment package ($155,995 to $174,645). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training Cancellation Fee | $100 | ||
| Initial Franchise Fee | $47,500 | ||
| Franchise Location – Rent/Security Deposit | $5,000 | $16,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvement | $306,848 | $472,365 | |
| Architectural, Engineering, Construction and/or Remodeling | $36,100 | $45,000 | |
| Kitchen Equipment Package | $155,995 | $174,645 | |
| Indoor/outdoor Furniture and Furnishings & Décor | $7,500 | $13,000 | |
| Inventory of Food, Beverages & Supplies | $500 | $1,000 | |
| Opening Inventory Food | $17,000 | $25,000 | |
| Pre-Operational Miscellaneous/Supply Cost & Small Wares | $8,500 | ||
| Signage | $8,000 | $12,000 | |
| Utility Deposits, Licenses, Permits and System Set-up Fees | $7,000 | $16,500 | |
| Legal, Accounting and Insurance | $3,500 | $5,000 | |
| P.O.S. System Software, Security & Cameras, Computers | $3,000 | $4,000 | |
| Opening Advertising | $1,200 | $2,500 | |
| Franchisee/Management Certification Training | $1,500 | $4,000 | |
| Additional Funds – Initial 3 Months | $20,000 | $30,000 | |
| Total | $629,143 | $877,010 | |
Source: TM Tifa Foods International, Inc, 2026 filing, page 15
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato franchise fee
The franchise fee is $47,500. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: TM Tifa Foods International, Inc, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross revenue, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Training Fee Upon Transfer of Business | $2,500 per person trained & travel and living expenses |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: TM Tifa Foods International, Inc, 2026 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from page 13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Tifa Chocolate & Gelato publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $556,596
- Median sales
- $479,797
Yearly figures for 2025, covering franchised cafés open one or more years in 2025 (7 locations). The average is about 0.7 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: TM Tifa Foods International, Inc, 2026 filing, pages 53–54
SBA loans to Tifa Chocolate & Gelato franchisees
Lenders approved 24 SBA 7(a) loans for Tifa Chocolate & Gelato franchisees from 2019 to 2026, $7.56M in all. All 4 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 20 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, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Tifa Chocolate & Gelato | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +44% / +333% | +6.2% / +18% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 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 Tifa Chocolate & Gelato compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is the 92nd cheapest to open and the 58th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Tifa Chocolate & Gelato | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $629K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $877K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $48K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $557K | $561K | $794K |
| US locations | 13 | 18 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 (+2) | 2 | +2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 9 (+4) | 0 | +4 | 0 |
| 2025 | 13 (+4) | 0 | +4 | 0 |
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.
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato passes four of the five tests on our list of the best franchises to own; it had fewer than 100 US locations three years ago.
More in the guides: ice cream franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: TM Tifa Foods International, Inc, 2026 filing, page 55
Where Tifa Chocolate & Gelato locations are
At the end of 2025, Tifa Chocolate & Gelato had franchised locations in 4 states. The most are in California, Texas and North Carolina.
- California7
- Texas3
- North Carolina2
- Arizona1
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| California | 7 |
| Texas | 3 |
| North Carolina | 2 |
| Arizona | 1 |
Source: TM Tifa Foods International, Inc, 2026 filing, page 56
Who owns Tifa Chocolate & Gelato?
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato franchises are sold by TM Tifa Foods International, Inc.
From TM Tifa Foods International, Inc’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
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: TM Tifa Foods International, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato filings
The figures on this page come from TM Tifa Foods International, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued April 7, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 7, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other ice cream franchises
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Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is also on these lists: food franchises.