Sara’s Artisan Gelato set to franchise

Matthew Day

Staff

September 7, 2026

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN – Sara’s Artisan Gelato is entering its next phase of growth, with the Green Bay-area business now offering franchise opportunities. 

Founded in 2019 by Sara Kwaterski (née Santaga), the homegrown gelato business has continued to expand since The Business News first featured it in its Feb. 9, 2023 issue.

“I know when people hear the word ‘franchise,’ they often picture big corporations and chains,” Kwaterski said in the Aug. 4 announcement, “and while we’re super excited to grow, we’re even more committed to making sure that every new Sara’s Artisan Gelato reflects the same quality, craftsmanship and values that have defined our brand from the beginning.” 

After the gelato entrepreneur teamed up with her brother, Jonathan Santaga, to become co-owners, Sara’s became an official partner of the Green Bay Packers ahead of the team’s 2024 season, as covered by TBN in its Oct. 7, 2024 issue. 

With its original gelato shop in Ashwaubenon (933 Anderson Drive) and a seasonal store in Fish Creek (4192 Main St.), Sara’s added another year-round location in De Pere in 2025, as reported in the Jan. 26, 2026 issue of TBN. 

The latter article also discussed Kwaterski’s plans to eliminate artificial dyes from Sara’s products.

She said all of the gelato flavors now use “naturally derived dyes,” with one exception.

Whereas Kwaterski and Santaga said they had been able to find artificial dye-free substitutes for all their other flavors, they have not been able to find a suitable pistachio replacement that doesn’t use “a tiny bit” of artificial dye. 

“We probably talked to six or seven different companies, trying to figure out if there was one that tasted identical or was comparable,” Santaga said. “We tried [samples] from California, from Sicily, an Iranian pistachio paste – all these different ones, and we couldn’t ditch [what we have been using]. That pistachio was too good – we didn’t want to ruin it.” 

From ingredients to service, the siblings said such careful consideration will be consistent across any new franchises, and will remain the standard at the current three corporate stores. 

“We are incredibly excited about what’s ahead,” Kwaterski said in the announcement, “and we can’t wait to see Sara’s Artisan Gelato shared with even more communities, while staying true to everything that brought us here.”  

An evolving vision 

Franchising, Kwaterski said, never crossed her mind when she launched Sara’s. 

“When I started it, I thought, ‘I’ll have my gelato shop, I’ll work it and I’ll make the gelato and that’s it, that’s great,’” she said. “And then, you kind of reach a point where it’s like if you’re not really growing, you’re kind of dying.” 

In addition to adding the Fish Creek and De Pere storefronts, Santaga and Kwaterski said they’ve continually expanded distribution for Sara’s – locally at first, but, as of late January, throughout the Great Lakes region, thanks to a partnership with wholesale food distributor Sysco and its Home Grown program. 

Sara’s also recently began shipping its gelato nationwide, Santaga said, with six- and eight-packs available for online orders.

He said the gelato is packed with dry ice to keep it “rock solid” during shipping.

As Sara’s has expanded its locations, distribution and wholesale operations – all of which have required increased production – Kwaterski said she credits Santaga with helping formalize processes that were once handled entirely by the formerly one-woman operation.

“It was organized for me, but we look back at my notebooks and my ordering processes, and it was just such a mess,” she laughed. “Having to delegate and add more people to our team, it [required us to get] a lot more organized.” 

Standardizing the brand’s singular operations, the siblings said, set up its multiple locations for success while also – unwittingly, at the time – laying the groundwork for franchising. 

Whereas finding the right store managers has been vital to operating the different storefronts, they said the key to successful franchises will be finding the right partners. 

In the weeks following the announcement, Santaga said “seven or eight” interested parties have reached out to Sara’s from across the Upper Midwest and as far away as Texas. 

“The biggest part is picking the right franchisee, making sure you have a relationship with that person and vetting them before just selling them your name and your business and what you’ve created,” he said. 

Along with the excitement, Kwaterski said with the company being her personal creation and bearing her name, franchising Sara’s is an “intimidating” prospect. 

Similarly, Santaga said the process has been “intense.” 

“It’s been a bigger thing than I thought it was going to be,” he said.  

However, Kwaterski said her trust in Santaga – “a numbers guy” – and his vision has never faltered. 

“If Johnny decides anything, he’s done his research…,” she said. “When he said, ‘I think this is the direction,’ say less – I’m on board, flying by his coattails.” 

Building on the “good balance” the siblings share, Santaga said they sought the expertise of iFranchise Group out of Chicago to help them explore and, ultimately, refine their franchising potential. 

The group, he said, consulted Auntie Anne’s as it grew from seven locations to more than 700. 

With the co-owners each in the midst of growing their families – Kwaterski and her husband welcomed their third child this year, while Santaga and his wife are expecting their first – they said they aren’t looking to take Sara’s to Auntie Anne’s scale anytime soon. 

For now, Santaga said he and Kwaterski are enthusiastically working through franchisee options, with a preference for relative proximity. 

“One of the advisory comments from our franchise consultants was that it would be wise of us to start somewhat close to home, just because we’re getting our feet wet in the system and the process and everything like that,” he said. 

Still, Santaga said he and Kwaterski encourage any interested parties to complete the inquiry form at sarasartisangelato.com. 

At this stage, the co-owners said any preliminary inquiries are mutually exploratory on behalf of Sara’s and potential franchisees. 

“It’s such a process of getting to know these people,” Kwaterski said, “that I feel like by the time we get our first franchisee, we’ll think, ‘This is a no-brainer – this will be so good.’” 

‘Gratitude through every stage’ 

Santaga and Kwaterski said they never imagined Sara’s getting to the point of franchising. 

“I just never would have dreamed we’d be here,” Kwaterski said. 

Credit for the capability, the co-owners said, is due to Store Director Alex Lemus and COO Nate Ihlenfeldt – upon whom they’ve been “heavily reliant” for standardizing the brand’s processes – as well as the stores’ “crucial” managers and team members. 

None of the growth for Sara’s, they said, would have been possible without its customers, for whom Kwaterski said she has had “gratitude through every stage of this [venture].” 

“People who wandered in and tried it out, and then getting through COVID-19, the people who went out of their way to help keep me afloat when things were shutting down and I was just doing pints [to go] – through the years, this community in Green Bay and surrounding areas, they’re so supportive of small businesses,” she said. 

The siblings said the franchising announcement has been met with an “overwhelming” amount of support and congratulations.

They said they have full faith in Sara’s Artisan Gelato’s “awesome” production team when it comes to increasing output while maintaining consistency. 

“They’ve had really good ideas with scaling it,” Santaga said. 

With any growth, he and Kwaterski said the recipes and standards will remain as high as always. 

“Throughout this process, [our team is] still making the gelato,” she said. “When someone opens [a franchise], we will be providing it. So, it’s still our process – still the ingredients, the research and development on our end to keep it really high quality.” 

Santaga said Sara’s current facility has “a lot of extra production capacity” to support a couple of additional locations. 

With no foreseeable changes to production, Kwaterski and Santaga said they have enjoyed learning about franchising while overcoming some preconceived notions of the concept. 

Any diminishment of products, store presentation or customer service, Kwaterski said, would be her “worst nightmare.” 

However, both siblings said they’ve come to better understand how franchises operate, and are confident they can maintain the personal qualities that have helped establish Sara’s. 

Kwaterski said her “artisan” approach to gelato creation will similarly apply to her and Santaga’s selection of franchisees. 

The other key to successfully franchising, the two said, is to ensure “this job’s fun” for all team members, regardless of role or location. 

Fortunately, Kwaterski said, “it’s hard to have a frown on your face when you’re giving somebody gelato.” 

Follow Sara’s Artisan Gelato on social media for updates as new locations are announced.