Open Your Kilwins Franchise

Our Company

Why choose a Kilwins franchise?

Kilwins premium and proprietary products, combined with your winning personality, using the Kilwins business model in a great location is the key to a customer experience like no other!

Kilwins has been Sweet In Every Sense Since 1947. From the aroma of fresh-made Waffle Cones to the taste of hand-crafted Chocolates and sounds of fudge paddles on marble slabs, a Kilwins store engages all of your senses!

A Kilwins employee hands a customer a caramel apple with a smile.

Our Products

What makes Kilwins Chocolates, Fudge, & Ice Cream so good?

Every Kilwins proprietary product uses the highest quality ingredients and is only available in Kilwins stores. Kilwins products are made fresh daily by franchisees in their store kitchen, hand-crafted by us in our own kitchen using methods dating back to the 1940s, or specially made for us using our proprietary recipes. Kilwins products are delivered to stores on temperature controlled trucks to help maintain the quality of our products until they arrive at your store.

Kilwins “Heritage” Chocolate

We craft our Kilwins “Heritage” Chocolate using our own proprietary recipes. Starting with Fair Trade Certified cocoa beans which have been carefully selected, roasted, and ground into chocolate liquor, we combine just the right amounts of cocoa butter, sugar and, depending on the product, milk and natural vanilla to get the perfect flavor, and a taste unlike any other chocolate you can buy! Our chocolate is Kosher certified.

“Original Recipe” Ice Cream

Made from premium ingredients and our own proprietary recipes, our “Original Recipe” Ice Cream is the best we can possibly make, and much-loved in the marketplace! Customers also love our fresh, made-in-store waffle cones and hand-made fudge and caramel toppings.

A tray of freshly-dipped caramel apples.

Made-in-Store Confections

Franchisees craft their own product from the best ingredients and time-tested and approved recipes, many developed in the 1940’s by Don & Katy Kilwin. Fudge, Caramel Apples, Brittle, Caramel Corn, Chocolate Bark, & many other Chocolate-Dipped Confections are just a few of the items we make fresh every day, in every store location. Imagine the sights, smells and tastes we create in our almost 150 locations nationwide!

A bucket of delicious handmade caramel corn.

Take Home Treats

Our Chocolate Assortments, Truffles, Creams, Sea-Salt Caramels, Brittle & Caramel Corn, Gourmet Cake & Ice Cream, and hundreds of other confections are hand-crafted by us, ready to be enjoyed as a part of any celebration with family and friends! Our award-winning packaging ensures that the Kilwins Brand experience continues well past the store visit.

Business Model

What does the “Kilwins Business Model” offer?

Our system supports you in running a great business, so you can achieve your personal goals. All of your products and operating system methods are supplied and specified by Kilwins, so you can spend your time efficiently running your store and leveraging your personality to care for your customers.

Prime Retail Locations

Our Franchise Development Team is available to help you locate and secure a location appropriate to our Brand. Our Project Management Team creates a custom design & layout for your store, and oversees the build-out using Brand elements in atmosphere, design, fixtures, & décor. The result is a special place that your customers will love, and a place that your community and you as a store owner are proud of.

Training & Support

Our extensive training & field support team is among the best in the industry, ensuring you’ll be able to deliver a Brand-right Kilwins experience to your customers. You will begin your training with our 14-day, hands-on, learning experience in our Petoskey, MI company store and Kilwins University Center. We then provide on-site store opening support in your location as well as on-going support from our Franchise Relations team. Subject to your performance, additional stores are available for development opportunities. Kilwins has many successful multiple-store franchisees.

Marketing Assistance

In-store point-of-purchase & merchandising programs offer award-winning, attractive, effective and exciting seasonal & holiday customer touch-points. These point-of-purchase programs work with marketing assets for a coordinated program. We provide creative content support with a robust library of marketing assets to grow your business.

Delivery & Logistics

We believe high-quality franchisees need high-quality products carefully delivered on time so you can spend your time efficiently running your store, caring for your customers and increasing sales. Kiwins products are delivered on temperature-controlled trucks by caring drivers to ensure that you get the products you need to serve your customers.

Streamlined Processes

Our proprietary Kilwins point-of-sale system makes sales analysis, end of day bookkeeping, accounting and reporting simple and efficient, and supports operations with recipes, costing, pricing, labor tracking, product ordering, forecasting and more.

A Kilwins employee sprinkles toppings on freshly dipped caramel apples.

Testimonials

What do our Franchisees say?

Our caring franchisees have plenty to say about how the Kilwins team, proven business model & high quality products have set them up for success. We are focused on creating the best opportunities for success for the entire Kilwins system as we continue to grow.

“The Kilwins franchise comes with a thought out comprehensive system streamlined for franchisee success. As we continue to learn and grow our business, we attribute part of our success to thorough hands-on training, enveloping us with a vast support team, and setting us up with an array of useful tools delivered by the franchise organization.”

— Heather

Kilwins Arlington Heights, IL

“Celebrating the traditions and special moments that bring families together is a unique experience that owning and operating a Kilwins franchise allows us to offer our hometown of 40 years. We cherish the engagement announcements, honeymoon visits, and dozens of birthday parties in our store, and we are honored to be a place our community comes to celebrate the milestones in their lives.”

— Bill & Maribeth

Kilwins Wheaton, IL

“It’s so gratifying to be a part of a learning and growing experience for each of our team members. For many, Kilwins is their first job. When they move on to do great things, we know their experience while working in our store provided the customer service fundamentals and skills to excel.”

— Julien

Kilwins Winter Park, FL
Kilwins Gainesville - Celebration Point, FL
Kilwins Gainesville - Butler Town Center, FL (coming soon)
Kilwins Sarasota Lakewood Ranch, FL (coming soon)

Franchisees Ashley, Judy, Darl, Sara, and Tim

“Being a multi-generational store is extremely meaningful to our family. We come together to support and help each other, all while creating enjoyment and making our customers happy. With my kids working in my store as I did when my parents owned the store, I hope to be able to continue this family tradition for many generations to come!”

— Ashley, Judy, Darl, Sara & Tim

Kilwins Holland, MI

“The most meaningful part of operating a Kilwins franchise is the impact you get to have on so many people. Kilwins gives us the opportunity to be part of one of the most powerful forces in the world for good—business. Our Kilwins businesses provide jobs, meaningful work for terrific people, a sense of community for our teams, and the best Chocolates, Fudge, and Ice Cream our customers will ever enjoy.”

— Ashley & Landon

Kilwins Greenville, SC
Kilwins Highlands, NC

“First-time Kilwins customers are the best; when they sample the products and watch fresh product being made, they are like ‘kids in a candy store’ no matter their age. Many working parents come to our store for their special treat and a break from caring for others. We bring joy to the everyday lives of our customers – a little ‘oasis’ from their otherwise hectic lives.”

— Glenn, Sarah & Gary

Kilwins King of Prussia, PA

“Kilwins high-quality recipes and kitchen-made products have been such a great activity for us as a couple to work together in our store. We take great pride in seeing our freshly-made products proudly displayed in our store and the excitement it brings to our customers.”

— Joe & Diane

Kilwins Ardmore, PA

“Our success is grounded in hard work and taking care of our customers and loyal, trustworthy employees. To be candid, we love and care for our employees, they are like family! For almost 22 years, we have seen our employees through infancy, high school, and college only to continue their careers with us for decades.”

— Janet & Phil

Kilwins St. Joseph, MI

Results

How do our stores perform?

Since our founding in 1947 we have continued to build and improve our business model. We began franchising in 1981 and the Kilwins business model has proven to be a successful model for our franchisees. We proudly compare average sales in our growing system of nearly 150 stores to those of our competitors.

2019 Average Sales

711,780

* The Kilwins information regarding average sales can be found in Item 19 of the 2020 Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) issued by Kilwins Chocolates Franchise, Inc. The Kilwins data above reflects the average unit sales performance during the 2019 calendar year for 122 reporting franchised stores. Gross sales vary considerably from location to location based on many factors as listed in our FDD. You may not achieve this average sales level and your actual results may vary, potentially substantially, from this average result.

Sales data for competing franchise concepts are found in their respective Franchise Disclosure Documents

How to Qualify

How do you qualify for your own Kilwins Franchise?

We are looking for hard-working, caring people who are passionate about creating customer enjoyment and happiness, and looking for great products and a business model to support the realization of their life goals. If you meet these financial requirements, you will need to complete an initial information form by clicking Request Information.

Assets

Our minimum financial requirement is $125K in liquid assets and $500K in total assets.

Total Investment*

Your investment will likely range from $350K to $937K, depending on your market and other factors.

* This information can be found in Item 7 of the 2020 Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) issued by Kilwins Chocolates Franchise, Inc. The data reflects the range of costs for many different items required to open a Kilwins store. Investment costs vary considerably from location to location based on many factors as listed in our FDD and your actual costs may vary, potentially substantially, depending on your specific location and circumstances.

A Kilwins franchisee behind the counter.

Available Markets

Emerging & Available Markets

Future Kilwins locations are selected by you and approved by Kilwins Chocolates Franchise, Inc. Below are new locations we are considering and existing locations currently available. Factors we consider when approving markets include general location and neighborhood, pedestrian volumes and patterns, competition in the area, demographics, store width and visibility, the proposed lease and other items impacting the store.

Providence, RI

An exciting opportunity in the College Hill neighborhood in Providence! Near the leading culinary school, Johnson & Wales, and a block away from Brown University and walking distance to restaurants, shops, and entertainment, with foot traffic from students and foodies alike! This amazing location in the most affluent neighborhood in Providence is available for a Kilwins franchisee.

Request Information About This Opportunity

Omaha, NE

An exciting opportunity in the Old Market District of Omaha, NE. This location is within walking distance of the hotels, downtown restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. At the center of a charming historical downtown Omaha, this location is available for a Kilwins franchisee.

Request Information About This Opportunity

Oklahoma City, OK

An exciting opportunity in the Bricktown – Riverwalk entertainment district in Oklahoma City! With an eclectic mix of restaurants and shops, this dynamic destination near the Bricktown Canal, where visitors take cruises and tours via Water Taxi, is available for a Kilwins franchise.

Request Information About This Opportunity

Gettysburg, PA

This is an existing franchise location in a quaint, friendly downtown set in the historical town of Gettysburg. and is now available for a Kilwins franchisee.

Request Information About This Opportunity

Map of states east of the Rocky Mountains

Where would you like to open your own Kilwins?

Future locations are selected by you and approved by Kilwins Chocolates Franchise, Inc. We are currently considering markets east of the Rocky Mountains where people celebrate, entertain, or vacation with friends and family.

Request Information About This Opportunity

Sugar Land, TX - Imperial Market

An exciting opportunity in the Imperial Market Development in Sugar Land! With eclectic shopping and ample dining, this new, exciting development built in and around the old Imperial Sugar Processing Plant is sure to be a vibrant destination for food, retail and fun!

Request Information About This Opportunity

Our Process

What to expect on your journey to becoming a Kilwins Franchisee

Complete our Request for Information.
Have an initial conversation with a Kilwins representative from our Franchise Development Team.
Complete our Request for Consideration.
Receive and review our Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), which includes the Franchise Agreement and additional information.
Complete your personality assessment and background reviews.
Meet with a Kilwins team member in your market area.
Complete your own Business Plan & Proforma.
Attend Discovery Day at Kilwins’ headquarters, company store and Chocolate Kitchen in Petoskey Michigan.
Sign a Franchise Agreement.
Go through our extensive Kilwins University education program.
Open your store and create enjoyment in your community!