Snowfruit Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $24K – $170K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Snowfruit is a quick-service shop serving frozen-fruit desserts and beverages, acai-style bowls, smoothies, and fresh-fruit blends. Franchisees run a compact counter making bowls and drinks to order from fresh and frozen produce.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Snowfruit franchise requires a total initial investment of $24K – $170K, including a $3K – $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored3 of 4 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $24K – $170K
- 1st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 12th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 1,034
- 92nd pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $24K – $170K including a $3K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 79/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -142 franchised outlets in the latest year (150 opened, 26 closed) (Item 20).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 133.1% CAGR over 3 years with 1034 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- JFE Franchising, Inc.
- Parent company
- Wonderfield US Holdco, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Zensho Holdings Co., Ltd.
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2025 FDD
- Predecessor
- JFE, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President, Secretary and Director
- Emma Deabill
- Incorporated in
- Texas
- HQ
- 2021 Bingle Road, Houston, Texas 77055
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $59.4M
- vs $145.0M prior year
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 8
3 other brands on this site name Zensho Holdings Co., Ltd. as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2025 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Emma Deabill
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2013
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 26
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 80% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $3K | $3K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $12K | $70K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $9K | $97K |
| Total initial investment | $24K | $170K |
Source: Snowfruit 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $24K – $170K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $12K – $70K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $3K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Tiered by sales volume · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- No mandatory system-wide advertising fund. Franchisor may…
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $50 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $1K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $1K – $10K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Snowfruit makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Snowfruit unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, ad fund rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 6.5% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants median).
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
System expanding at 133.1% CAGR over 3 years across 1,034 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants medians
How Snowfruit Compares
Category median of published Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1,034
- Opened
- 150
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 26
- Turnover rate
- 2.5%
- Company-owned
- 20
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +133.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +133.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Transferred
- 49
- Projected new
- 57
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 3.8%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 29.8%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 33 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 contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Michigan
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Washington
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
1,132 current owners across 33 states.
- TX 199
- OH 181
- GA 117
- KY 93
- TN 77
- WI 77
- CO 58
- VA 56
- MI 53
- UT 40
- KS 34
- IN 30
- +21 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Financially very strong: net worth $157M, net income $69.1M on $144M revenue, explosive +133.1% net growth across 1,035 units. No litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern. Only concern is missing Item 19 disclosure.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Franchisor (JFE Franchising, Inc.) total revenue for fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, per audited financial statements; includes franchise fees, royalty (revenue share) revenue, insurance revenue, and other revenue across both Snowfruit and Snowfox/sushi lines.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 79 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
- 02MINORPositive net worth $157M, net income $69M, +133.1% growth, audited, no litigation
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 2 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 2 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | Location |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 60 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 15 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 7 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Harris County, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 20 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and at franchisor location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Label printing system (Store Owner cash registers)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Label printing system (Store Owner cash registers)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1,132 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Snowfruit franchise?
The total investment to open a Snowfruit franchise ranges from $24K – $170K, with an initial franchise fee of $3K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Snowfruit franchise owners earn?
Snowfruit makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Snowfruit?
Snowfruit is franchised by JFE Franchising, Inc.. Its parent company is Wonderfield US Holdco, Inc.. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Zensho Holdings Co., Ltd.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Snowfruit FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Snowfruit FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Snowfruit's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Snowfruit (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Snowfruit franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Snowfruit has 1,034 total units in the United States, including 1,014 franchised units and 20 company-owned units. 150 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Snowfruit a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Snowfruit as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 79 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.