Our Story
Parry, our founder, always had a love for frozen desserts. Growing up, his father owned an iconic soft serve ice cream shop which later became the inspiration for Nani's Gelato. Fast forward to 2018, Parry had a vision to open a food concept with a small footprint that would focus on takeout only. Most importantly, he wanted to pursue a concept that he could infuse his passion and culture into. Reminiscing on his early love for his father's soft serve ice cream shop, Parry knew something in the frozen dessert category would be the perfect fit to execute his vision.
2018
In 2018, our founder Parry began training in the frozen dessert category. He attended the University of Wisconsin's Ice Cream Short Course, local training in gelato production and finally training alongside an Italian artisanal gelato maker in the U.S.A
2019
In 2019, after being unable to find a physical location, Parry purchases a Dodge Sprinter and transforms it into a custom, one of a kind gelato food truck. Travelling across downtown Toronto daily and serving catering events, Parry is overwhelmed with the response for the product.
2020
In February 2020, Parry transitions Nani's Gelato into a brick and mortar location in downtown Toronto. Unable to meet demand and production requirements operating solely from the gelato truck, the storefront provides the perfect solution to grow the brand and better serve customers.
2021
In late 2021, expansion continued into a 1,500 square foot master production facility located in Mississauga, ON. The new site acted as a retail store front for customers and a centralized kitchen that increased production capabilities by ten fold.
2022
Fast forward to 2022 and Nani's Gelato announces strategic plans for expansion via franchising. Applying his 10+ years of experience as President & CEO of a previous franchise system acting as the franchisor, Parry is excited to expand the Nani's Gelato brand across Canada, the U.S.A and global markets.
2023
In January 2023, Nani's Gelato opens it's first franchise location in the heart of a high density Toronto community, Liberty Village. A monumental achievement for the brand as expansion enters the execution stage!
Why Gelato?
Less Air
Compared to ice cream that contains upwards of 100% air, gelato typically only contains 30% air making the final product denser and more flavourful. Less air, typically translates to a higher quality product.
Flavour Flexiblity
Due to the density of gelato, flavour injection and concentration is much easier compared to hard ice cream. We love changing our flavours bi-weekly and the characteristics of gelato allow us to infuse the product with almost any kind of flavour you can imagine.
Less Fat
Unlike a lot of other frozen desserts, the main ingredient in gelato is milk as opposed to heavy cream. The result is a lower fat product where flavours are better accentuated. Our sorbettos which are water based, typically contain zero fats.
Our Locations
We currently have three locations:
6 Charles Street East, Toronto, ON
6039 Erin Mills Parkway, Mississauga, ON
(Unit 1A – Next To Gladiator Burger)
120 Lynn Williams Street, Toronto, ON
(Unit 2B – Across From Metro & Beside Panago Pizza)
86 Copper Creek Drive, Markham, ON
(Unit 101 – Beside Oxford Learning Centre / adjacent to Mandarin and Longo’s)
During the current winter months (November to March), each location is open Monday to Thursday from 2:00pm to 10:00pm, Friday and Saturday from 12:00pm to 11:00pm and Sunday from 12:00pm to 10:00pm.
We are currently expanding across North America and globally, if you are interested in additional information, please visit our Franchise Opportunities page.