After four years of serving fresh, homemade gelato to Hanover residents and Dartmouth students, Morano Gelato aims to expand out from the Upper Valley to the Boston area. Owner and founder Morgan Morano has decided to franchise the business. She hopes to open two stores by March 2015 and at least 10 stores nationwide over the next five years, starting with the Boston area.
Morano established her business in 2010, debuting her goods at the Hanover Farmer’s Market. Morano, a Hanover native with a lifelong interest in opening a dessert business, worked and lived in Italy on and off for six years, studying under a Sicilian gelato chef who became her mentor.
There are no definite locations for new franchises yet, but Morano said she has found a strong candidate in the Boston area.
Pam Miles, an owner of Hanover’s Morano Gelato, said that Morano plans to visit each new location and teach the new staff how to make gelato. Morano will stagger the openings of the franchises to maintain quality control, Miles said.
“It’s a learning process, but she’s a good teacher,” Miles said.
Morano said she was initially hesitant to announce her decision because people tend to associate franchising with lower-quality products. She said, however, that she plans to work with passionate individuals who share her vision. She will travel on a weekly or monthly basis to each location to ensure high standards, she said.
“I’m passionate about the brand and about the product,” Morano said. “I have no problem traveling to ensure that each shop maintains the high-quality gelato and clean standards that I expect from them.”
Morano said she hopes to eventually build a team of Morano Gelato Inc. employees, though she will oversee the expansion herself.
Students said they were excited for Morano Gelato’s expansion but did not want the quality of the product to decrease.
Nathan Busam ’17 said he thinks franchising the company is a great opportunity to allow more people to sample high-quality gelato, but added that he fears a possible reduction in quality.
“I think it’s great for Hanover-based companies to spread so that people can learn more about the area or at least things that come from this area,” Stephanie Emenyonu ’16 said.
Shirley Fang ’17 said she had mixed feelings about the expansion.
“It’s one of the few businesses that I know of that has really succeeded in Hanover, so it’s kind of exciting that it’s going to expand,” said Fang, who has lived in Hanover for eight years. “It is a little sad because it is not going to be our little special Morano Gelato, but I’m happy they are going to do well.”
Miles also said that though Morano Gelato is franchising, Hanover’s branch will always be special.
“We’re lucky because there’s a small college in town,” she said. “This is an absolutely perfect location, and I don’t think having other Morano Gelato’s is going to take anything away from what we have here.”
Morano said Hanover’s store will always be the largest, though the features and aesthetics of each store will be identical throughout the franchise. The store will continue to sport the traditional Italian colors of black, white and gold and to make its gelato each day from scratch. Morano added that every new shop will be community-oriented. If she were to open up a shop in New Mexico, for example, she said that she would work with the shop’s employees to make gelato that incorporated both local and Italian flavors.
Rachel Drinane, manager of Hanover’s Morano Gelato, said she is excited for the expansion and proud of the work that Morano has done. While the endeavor includes risks, Drinane said she has confidence in Morano’s product.
“She worked really hard for this,” Drinane said.
In May 2011, after operating in Rosey Jekes Cafe, Morano opened a shop on South Main Street. Morano Gelato now offers a rotating selection of 16 flavors that are made in shop every day.
Last September, Morano sold the Main Street store to Bill and Pam Miles and Jon and Jenn Langhus to allow her to focus on expanding the business. She retains ownership of the brand, Morano Gelato Inc.
Morano had no initial plans to expand the business, but the national attention she received after taking the store to South Main Street — one Forbes reporter wrote an article in 2011 saying it was the best gelato he’d had in the U.S.— prompted her to decide that franchising was a natural step.
“I was noticing that gelato shops were opening that were still focusing on American flavors, and they weren’t really highlighting the tradition of true Italian gelato,” she said.
