US frozen gelato brand Gelatys has opened a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Fort Myers, Florida, as part of an $8m investment designed to support the company’s rapid national expansion.
The new 30,000 sq. ft. production site is now fully operational and marks a major milestone for the company, which claims to be the only manufacturer of frozen gelato novelties in the United States.
Built on a 1.5-acre site, the facility significantly expands Gelatys’ manufacturing capabilities and will support the continued rollout of its premium frozen novelty products across the country. According to the company, the site’s next-generation production equipment is capable of producing in one hour what previously took an entire day.
The investment is expected to support the scaling of Gelatys’ Mini Gems range — a line of portion-controlled gelato mini pops — as well as future premium Italian-style frozen novelty products.
Adolfo Joel Heller Cohen, founder and CEO of Gelatys, said the new facility represents the fulfilment of a long-term ambition to establish large-scale frozen gelato manufacturing in the US market.
“When my family and I moved to Miami, Gelatys began as a dream to bring true artisanal gelato to the US market,” he said. “We quickly saw a larger opportunity; premium gelato novelties were not being manufactured at scale because of how technically complex they are.
“That challenge became our innovation story, pushing us to create our own processes, adapt machinery, and build products that did not yet exist in the market.
“Our new Fort Myers facility isn’t just an expansion, it’s the infrastructure we always knew this brand would need when growing from a local concept into a national brand. We’re the only manufacturer of its kind in the United States, and we built that from scratch.”
Founded in Miami in 2016 as a two-kiosk mall concept, Gelatys has since expanded its retail presence to more than 5,000 locations across 26 states. The company’s products are now stocked in retailers including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Wegmans, H-E-B, The Fresh Market and multiple Kroger-owned banners.
In addition to expanding production capacity, the new Fort Myers site is expected to create approximately 75 jobs in the region, adding to the roughly 50 employees already supporting the company’s original Miami operation.
Gelatys said the new facility will act as the operational backbone for its next phase of growth as it looks to establish itself as a nationally recognised frozen consumer packaged goods brand.
