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A Bergen County-based chocolate-covered dessert company founded by a former stay-at-home mom, Mindy’s Munchies is launching its first franchise store.

Scheduled to open Sept. 21 in Falmouth, Maine, the location marks the third storefront overall for the family-owned and operated brand. It is being franchised by Marlo Murphy, according to Mindy’s Munchies.

Over the past two decades, Mindy Mosca has grown her venture from a small kitchen operation into a thriving business with brick-and-mortar spaces in Norwood and Boca Raton, Fla. Mindy’s Munchies’ chocolate-dipped strawberries, pretzels, cookies and fudge are also sold through its online direct-to-consumer platform.

In addition to custom gift baskets and platters, Mindy’s Munchies is known for hosting events, such as birthday parties and ladies’ night out.

Prior to starting Mindy’s Munchies, Mosca counted cooking as one of her hobbies, making sweet treats for friends and family. After seeing how much they loved her creations, Mosca decided to pursue a business.

Commenting on the first franchise opening, CEO Mosca said she was excited to bring the Mindy’s Munchies experience to a new area.

“We’ve spent over 20 years perfecting our business model, and we’re confident that this is just the beginning of a new era for our brand,” she said. “We’re excited to share our success with franchisees who are as passionate about delicious desserts and community-centric business practices as we are.”

Creating opportunity

COO Harry Mosca, Mindy’s husband, said the idea for a franchise program was born out of the pandemic “when the niche food market was the next market boom for franchises.”

According to Harry Mosca, the model is crafted to offer franchisees the tools and support needed to succeed in the growing snack food industry.

With an initial investment of between $174,000 to $315,000, low overhead, established vendor relationships and support with retail, marketing, merchandising and sales, the company believes it is setting franchisee up for success from day one.

Harry Mosca said, “Our goal with franchising is to create opportunities for entrepreneurs to own a piece of a proven and beloved brand. While our stores share a common foundation, we also encourage our franchisees to personalize their locations based on local market conditions.”

He went on to say, “For instance, our Florida store offers Tipsy Scoop ice cream, while our upcoming Falmouth store plans to feature coffee and croissants to cater to the breakfast crowd. This flexibility allows our franchisees to cater to their communities in a way that works best for them.”