A.J. Chocolate House in Winter Park is looking to trade its status as a cozy neighborhood secret for something bigger, rolling out a franchising push that could plant its European-style chocolates, towering tea service and tucked-away café rooms in downtowns and resort towns across Florida. Owners Edwin and Katherine Jablonskas say strong demand for both giftable chocolate and their lingering café experience convinced them it was time. The plan leans on compact, hospitality-driven storefronts that work as both retail shops and intimate event spaces.
Franchise plan and costs
A.J. Chocolate House is offering franchises with a $35,000 initial fee and an estimated total investment between about $302,767 and $757,667, along with a 6% royalty on sales, according to QSR Magazine. The company is designing locations in the 1,000 to 1,500 square foot range so they can slip into walkable downtown strips and tourist corridors. Each shop is built to juggle sit-down café service, retail chocolate gifting and private events, giving franchisees several revenue streams under one small roof.
Where they’re targeting
The initial push will focus on Florida and the broader Southeast, though the owners say they are already hearing from seasonal visitors and would-be operators in Canada and resort markets, WFTV reports. To shape the program and marketing playbook, the brand teamed up with West Palm Beach-based Accurate Franchising. Future sites, the company says, will favor blocks with strong sidewalks and neighborhood buzz rather than big-box centers.
From Vilnius to Park Avenue
The A.J. in the name belongs to Algimantas “A.J.” Jablonskas, who first launched the concept in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2002, according to the company’s website. Edwin and Katherine Jablonskas brought the brand stateside with a U.S. flagship on Winter Park’s Park Avenue in August 2023, then added a New Smyrna Beach location in 2025, industry coverage shows. The Winter Park shop doubles as the brand’s showcase, while the New Smyrna Beach spot serves as a smaller prototype geared to tighter downtown storefronts.
What’s driving growth
The owners say a mix of café traffic, retail gifting, wholesale accounts, corporate orders and private events helped fuel roughly 40% year-over-year growth, momentum they cite as the springboard for franchising, per WFTV. Much of the chocolate is produced through the company’s European manufacturing network and shipped to the United States, a setup the owners say protects quality while adding tariff and logistics wrinkles. That combination of experience-heavy café service and gift-ready retail is the formula they hope will translate to new markets.
What this means for local entrepreneurs
The company is courting owner-operators and hospitality-minded investors and directs interested parties to its franchising team through the company portal, AJ Chocolate House says. Accurate Franchising has also listed A.J. Chocolate House among the emerging food and beverage concepts it is backing, signaling an active rollout effort from West Palm Beach. For local restaurateurs and retail owners, the relatively small footprint and multi-pronged revenue model offer a way to bolt a specialty dessert and events concept onto a downtown block.
