Start a Kilwins Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #117 Ranked #95 last year

Initial investment: $295K - $880K

Units as of 2025: 178 16.3% over 3 years

Treat yourself and indulge in opening a Kilwins franchise! From its beginning in 1947, Kilwin has offered premium kitchen-made ice cream, chocolates, and fudge. Everything is freshly prepared from original recipes and premium ingredients.

Kilwins has since been a prominent part of American cuisine with an excellent reputation for providing exceptional service and high-quality products, including caramel apples, fudge, chocolate bark, caramel corn, and brittle, to mention a few.

With in-store craftsmanship, high-quality desserts, and a friendly staff, Kilwins believes they have a customer-friendly environment that feels like home. Kilwins offers an authentic taste and a sensory experience like no other.

Why You May Want to Start a Kilwins Franchise?

Kilwins is an exciting and fun business with a seasoned business model. With more than 50 years of brand recognition, you may have a great customer base. You will likely not have to worry about marketing and branding costs because Kilwins typically takes care of this for its franchisees.

Franchisees have access to an extensive training and support team that will guide you throughout your entire time while in business. Kilwins may offer personalized support to new franchisees to help them achieve their goals. All your operating system methods and products might be specified and supplied by Kilwins. This will save you time to focus on running your store, leveraging your personality for customer care.

What Might Make Kilwins a Good Choice?

To be part of Kilwins team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. You should also be prepared for ongoing fees that will include advertising fees, royalty fees, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet Kilwins set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

While opening a Kilwins franchise could be a great opportunity, your investment is only as good as the effort you put into it. Your hard work as a franchisee and the quality of service you offer your customers are vital elements.

How To Open a Kilwins Franchise

To become a part of the Kilwins team, you'll need to submit an inquiry form. A franchise representative may contact you if you seem to be a good fit for the brand. Then, suppose your net worth and available liquid capital match the brand’s requirements. In that case, you may qualify to open a Kilwins franchise, and you can get started with an initial investment.

As you decide if Kilwins is a good fit for you, it may be a good idea to contact an attorney or financial manager in order to ensure that you have the financial stability to run a franchise. You should also make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a Kilwins franchise would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth. Live the sweet life and submit your inquiry to open a Kilwins Franchise!

Company Overview

About Kilwins

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Candy, Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts
Founded	1947
Parent Company	Kilwins Chocolate Franchise Inc.
Leadership	Brian Britton, CEO
Corporate Address	1050 Bay View Rd. Petoskey, MI 49770
Social	Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1982 (43 years)
# of employees at HQ	125
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia
# of Units	178 (as of 2025)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Kilwins franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$20,000 - $40,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$295,415 - $880,344
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$500,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$175,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	$10,000 off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	3%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Kilwins has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	56-157 hours
Classroom Training	27-43 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	6-10
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes