Morelia Gourmet Paletas South Florida

Paleta Power

Mexican popsicles are tasty enough to win over new franchisees at Morelia Gourmet Paletas

At Morelia Gourmet Paletas, donโ€™t expect your grandadโ€™sโ€”or anyoneโ€™s grandadโ€™sโ€”paletas. With eight popular storefronts in South Florida including the original Coral Gables location, it has perfected its own way to recreate Mexicoโ€™s famously handcrafted ice cream treats.

The key is variety: โ€œWe have at least a million combinations here,โ€ says co-owner Alex Kassab (there are six others) about his artisanal shop, now available for franchise opportunities. โ€œYou could come in every day for a year, and never munch the same paleta.โ€

Co-owner Alex Kassab of Morelia Gourmet Paletas

Co-owner Alex Kassab

Traditionally, authentic Mexican paletas, whether water or milk-based, are not whipped while freezing (like ice cream or sherbet). Instead, palateros hand mold them, fit them with a stick, and leave them to harden in a freezer. โ€œOur small batch paletas come in three categories,โ€ Kassab explains: fruity (no dairy, with chunky fruit flavors like mango or passion fruit), creamy (with a consistency and intensity like gelato), and filled (with unexpected combinations like Nutella inside banana).

But with its three-stage concept (โ€œpick it, dip it, top itโ€), Morelia elevates and redefines the traditional rustic paleta. โ€œWe normally offer around 16 ice cream or iced fruit seasonal flavors on any given day,โ€ says Kassab. But thatโ€™s just the base. To enhance the experience for each customer, a palatero customizes the next two stepsโ€”dip and top. The dip, usually white or dark chocolate, is followed by the topping, drawn from a range of confections, from cookie crumbles to nut crunch. The sโ€™mores finish, Kassab insists, is the epitome of Morelia sublimity: โ€œItโ€™s creamy marshmallow fluff, which we torch.โ€

The idea for Morelia was born in 2013, when the founders, a group of friends living in Brazil with their young families, noticed a booming trend. โ€œMexican paletas were everywhere,โ€ Kassab says. โ€œThey were freshly made with exotic fruit, and easy to find in places like convenience storeโ€”a perfect snack.โ€ Hooked, they decided to try making them at home. โ€œHow hard could it be?โ€ Kassab recalls now, laughing. Their hobby led to weekly paleta competitions among the families. โ€œIt was all in good fun. The children judged the flavors,โ€ Kassab remembers, adding that, in truth, the early attempts were not always pretty. โ€œWeโ€™ve learned a lot since then.โ€

We chose the name Morelia to honor the heritage of paletas, which legend has it, first were made in the Mexican state of Michoacรกn. Morelia is the state capital. โ€” Alex Kassab

Eventually, the crew of paleta-lovers, now co-owners, perfected their product, developing their distinctive โ€œthree-stepโ€ concept, which took the frosty snack to a new level. โ€œWe chose the name Morelia to honor the heritage of paletas, which legend has it, first were made in the Mexican state of Michoacรกn,โ€ said Kassab. โ€œMorelia is the state capital.โ€

Morelia chose the Miami area for its first paleta stop because the partners were looking for a place that had โ€œsummer 365 days of the year, and a mix of cultures naturally open to new things,โ€ Kassab says. โ€œWhen we opened our first store in Coral Gables, in 2016, we were simply proud of our product,โ€ he says. โ€œBut right away, we discovered that that paletas were not the only thing we were selling. Our secret ingredient was the experience we offered.โ€

Now heโ€™s encouraging others to share the paleta experience. Future palateros may inquire about signing up with the Morelia brand, thanks to a newly offered franchise opportunity as Morelia expands its easy-to-replicate model. Franchise fees start at $25,000, with additional licenses available for $20,000. Overall startup costs come in at around $88,100 and up, depending on model (kiosk or retail) and size of location.

Kassab says Morelia is about selling a culture as much as cashing in on creamy goodness. He notes that guests donโ€™t just drop into the store, grab an ice cream bar and leave. โ€œMost people enjoy the ritual of the interactive process,โ€ he says, โ€œincluding their conversation with the paletero. Most often, they sit down and stay for a while. Morelia has become a social occasion, an extension of their day.

Morelia Gourmet Paletas South Florida

Portraits by Larry Wood

Becca Hensley
Bhensley@lmgfl.com
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