A gelato line stretching two hours long formed in Highland this week as Freddo, the Argentine gelato chain founded in Buenos Aires in 1969, opened its first Utah location. The new shop sits at 5378 W 11000 N, Suite 301, and opening day drew a crowd that included people originally from Argentina looking for a familiar taste of home.
The wait times and the makeup of the crowd were reported by the BYU Daily Universe, which covered the opening as part of its metro coverage. According to the outlet, Freddo has received a warm welcome since opening, particularly from Utah’s Argentine community, and the shop drew large crowds on opening day.
Antonio Macia, owner of the Utah location, told the Daily Universe that he had identified few gelato options in the Lehi and Highland communities before deciding to bring Freddo to the area. He said he believed Utah County’s growing and diverse population would be eager to explore international flavors, a bet that the opening-day lines seemed to validate.
An Argentine Chain With Italian Roots
Macia described Freddo as a franchise that originated in Argentina more than 50 years ago, one that is Italian in many ways but carries an Argentine heart, per the Daily Universe’s report. That framing lines up with how the company itself tells its origin story: Freddo says its first store opened in the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires in 1969, according to the company’s About Us page.
The company’s franchising materials describe the gelato recipes as original Italian techniques preserved for more than 50 years, and Freddo says its ice cream is made by hand without additives or preservatives, using fresh milk from its own dairy. Macia told the Daily Universe that the gelato served in Highland comes directly from Argentina and is exactly what customers would eat in Buenos Aires, since Freddo does not make its gelato locally but imports its products instead.
That imported-from-Argentina pitch has shown up elsewhere as Freddo has expanded into the United States. When the chain opened its first California location in Studio City on September 27, Eater Los Angeles reported that the shop’s signature dulce de leche flavor had been on Freddo’s menu for more than 50 years, and that the chain offers about two dozen flavors at its scoop shops, according to Eater Los Angeles.
Building a Gathering Place, Not Just a Dessert Stop
Freddo store manager Bella Larrett is helping run day-to-day operations at the Highland location, per the Daily Universe. For Macia, the goal extends beyond gelato sales. He explained that the Spanish phrase “estás en tu casa,” meaning “you’re at home,” captures what he hopes the shop can become, and he said he hopes people will feel a sense of community at Freddo.
Macia hopes the Highland store will become a gathering place for connection and Argentine culture, giving longtime Argentine gelato fans a familiar favorite while offering others in Utah County a chance to discover a new dessert tradition altogether. The shop, he said, brings a small taste of Buenos Aires to Utah County.
Part of a Wider U.S. Push
Freddo’s arrival in Highland fits into a broader expansion pattern. The chain’s California debut in Studio City was followed by plans for a second Los Angeles-area location in West Hollywood, according to Eater Los Angeles’s report from 2024. Freddo’s own franchising materials describe an international network spanning Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, the United States, Panama and Mexico, while the company’s about-us page separately describes more than 160 branches across Argentina and more than 60 branches across the American continent. The exact current store count varies across Freddo’s own materials and outside reporting, but the company’s ambitions to grow in the U.S. are evident in both its Studio City opening and now its first Utah shop.
