Franchising

Jeremiah's Italian Ice makes Bayou State debut

Photo: Provided.

April 1, 2021

Jeremiah's Italian Ice is opening its first store in Louisiana as part of the brand's expansion in the Southern U.S. The Covington, Louisiana store is located on Highway 1077, according to a press release.

Franchisee Lisa Rapson is operating the Bayou State store with her daughter and son-in-law. Rapson, a Jeremiah's area representative, has committed to developing 20 locations across the North Shore and southern Louisiana, from Gulfport, Mississippi to Baton Rouge. Included are five of her own locations she intends to open in the next four years.

Rapson's dream of running a family-owned business began after her husband's retirement from 22 years of Navy service.

"We absolutely loved the Jeremiah's brand when we lived in Orlando and are thrilled to bring the concept to Louisiana," Rapson said in the release. "We're excited to introduce the same quality product that Jeremiah's is known for to our Covington residents, and are hoping to build a similar legion of die-hard fans as the brand has in its home state of Florida. It's very special to us to bring a concept we loved into a family-operated business."

Jeremiah's, founded in 1996 and franchising since 2019, has 30 locations throughout Florida, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. It has partnered with franchising company, Pivotal Growth Partners, to expand in the Southern U.S.