Tifa Chocolate & Gelato was founded in 2007, initially operating as an online artisan-chocolate retailer before opening its first café in Agoura Hills, California. Today, the company is headquartered in Westlake Village, California. The brand quickly gained recognition for combining handcrafted chocolate with premium gelato made fresh daily, creating a unique dessert café experience.
Tifa began franchising in 2017 under its parent corporate entity formed earlier that year. The franchise offers a mix of European-style chocolate, authentic Italian gelato, and specialty coffee beverages. Each location provides customers with a welcoming atmosphere that encourages connection and indulgence.
What differentiates Tifa from other dessert franchises is its focus on craftsmanship, quality ingredients, and community engagement. The brand’s cafés are designed to feel warm and inviting, offering guests the experience of a local neighborhood dessert café rather than a standard chain.
Here's what you would need to invest if you were to start this franchise. These costs are provided by the franchisor in the Franchise Disclosure Document.
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato provides the following training to franchisees:
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato offers franchisees a “Protected Territory,” which is typically defined as either a radius of four miles or a population area of 100,000 people, whichever is smaller.
This territory is formally designated once the franchisee’s site is accepted and added to the franchise agreement. Within this area, Tifa agrees not to open company-owned stores or grant additional franchises using the Tifa brand.
However, the protection is limited and non-exclusive. Tifa retains the right to market products through other channels, such as online sales or non-traditional venues like airports or military bases, even within the protected area.
KEY FRANCHISE STATS
All you need to know about this franchise
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I Scream Gelato is a gelato-and-dessert franchise offering artisan gelato, sorbets and Italian-style sweets, serving families and dessert fans, and known for handcrafted product, high-quality ingredients and upscale café ambience.
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Yogurtland is a self-serve frozen-yogurt franchise offering premium flavors, toppings, customization and café environment, serving dessert lovers and families, and known for global reach, brand strength and franchisee-friendly model.
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MILLIE’S HOMEMADE is a bakery-café franchise offering cookies, brownies, desserts and café beverages, serving family-friendly shoppers and gift buyers, and known for made-from-scratch recipes, warm ambiance and scalable franchise design.
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