Paciugo Gelato Caffè
Bottom line
- Total investment $110K – $612K including a $20K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 64/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 9 loans (below the industry average).
- System contracting at -8.3% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one Paciugo Gelato Caffè unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
20%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Overview
About
Paciugo franchisees operate upscale gelato and specialty coffee retail locations, focusing on premium Italian-style frozen desserts and espresso beverages. Daily operations include product preparation, staff management, customer service, and inventory control in small-format locations. The model emphasizes brand positioning as a high-end alternative to frozen yogurt chains.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 8 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator — not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Shrinking artisanal gelato system with deteriorating unit count, absent financial disclosures, unprotected territories, and questionable franchisor stability—significant viability and profitability risks.
Score breakdown · what drove the 64 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 4.3% year-over-year (22 units is very small system indicating contraction risk)
- 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents ROI assessment and suggests weak performance or franchisor unwilling to disclose
- 03MINORWide investment range ($109,700–$612,250) indicates inconsistent unit economics or hidden costs
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other franchisees and company-owned locations
- 05HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, creating uncertainty about franchisor financial stability and support
- 06MEDRelatively high 6% royalty on undisclosed revenue base makes profitability math impossible to validate
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
26 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Paciugo Gelato Caffè · FDD (2025) PDF