Gelatys Gelato Expands Production to Fort Myers, Creating 75 Jobs

Gelatys Artisanal Gelato will construct a new plant in Fort Myers. The move brings 75 positions to Southwest Florida. They've secured a 23,750-square-foot warehouse at 4840 Laredo Ave., marking their second manufacturing site.

Jorana NNN No 4 LLC purchased the property in August. The buyer, connected to The Apollo Group in Miami, spent $5.6 million on the warehouse, along with 5 acres. It's positioned west of Ortiz Avenue, north of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and south of Luckett Road in an industrial zone.

Water One occupied the space before. That business printed and labeled private brands on plastic water bottles for three decades. Equipment waits inside the vacant building, ready for installation once construction wraps up. Adolfo Heller founded Gelatys in 2016 in Miami.

Heller started with kiosks in Miami shopping centers. Sawgrass Mills and Dolphin Mall hosted his early ventures. Then 2020 arrived. Malls shuttered during the pandemic, forcing a pivot to grocery stores.

"When the malls closed, I moved all my business to supermarkets," Heller said, according to Gulfshore Business. "Now, we are in 5,000 locations in 26 states. Now, we are in Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Kroger. We are in a lot of different supermarket chains. We are growing really fast."

Gelatys offers Pops in flavors like Very Berry, Chocolate Volcano, Super Dulce de Leche, Passion Mango, Coconut Breeze, and Bonbons, which are Greek yogurt dipped in chocolate.

The company is working on permits and installing advanced gelato equipment to increase production efficiency, aiming to become the top gelato brand in the U.S.