Churromania
Churromania is the world's largest churro franchise, operating 120+ locations across 10+ countries with a proprietary 1997 churro formula. The Miami-based company sells fresh churros through franchise stores, frozen products via 1,226+ Publix locations, and Walmart store-within-store partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersMiami, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Churromania does
Churromania operates the world's largest dedicated churro franchise, founded in 1997 in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela by Ariel Acosta-Rubio and María Alejandra Bravo and now headquartered in Miami, Florida. The company runs 120+ locations across 10+ countries — including 40+ US stores in Florida, Texas, and New Jersey — through a pure franchise model in which franchisees pay a $30,000 unit fee plus a flat 8% royalty on net sales with no marketing fees. Store formats include mall and shopping center units (350–650 sq ft), Walmart store-within-store concessions, kiosks (150–200 sq ft), and food trucks, with a new NU Stadium venue opening in Miami in 2026.
The company's product and technology foundation rests on a proprietary churro blend developed as a trade secret in 1997, supported by custom-designed production equipment and a portfolio of registered trademarks (CrispyMania®, ChurroBites®, BigMania®, TwistMania®, Frappmania®, BiteMania®, Music Mania). Core menu items include traditional churros, filled/glazed variants, bite-sized pieces, ice-cream churro sandwiches, and complementary savory items (ChurroDog, Tequeños, Empanadas) plus beverages (Hot Chocolate, Coffee, Frappmania). The brand extended into frozen retail in 2021 via CrispyMania Pre-Fried Churros, distributed through 1,226+ Publix supermarkets and a network of specialty Latin grocers across Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma.
Churromania's revenue mechanics are diversified across four streams: franchise fees and royalties (8% of net sales), in-store retail sales (Average Unit Volume $584K in FY2024, with 37% of stores at or above average), wholesale frozen product distribution to grocery partners, and delivery commissions via Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. The business also generates brand-marketing value from event-based initiatives (Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix presence, the December 2025 Guinness World Record for the 502-foot World's Longest Churro, National Churro Day promotions) and a social responsibility product line (Music Mania) whose proceeds support the Miami Music Project, where the CEO serves as Chairman. The company remains founder-owned and family-controlled with no disclosed institutional investment.
Churromania firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Churromania
- Legal name
- CHURROMANIA INTERNATIONAL HOLDING LLC
- Website
- https://churromania.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Churromania is the world's largest churro franchise, operating 120+ locations across 10+ countries with a proprietary 1997 churro formula. The Miami-based company sells fresh churros through franchise stores, frozen products via 1,226+ Publix locations, and Walmart store-within-store partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Churromania industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Churro Franchise / Quick-Service Dessert Restaurants
- NAICS
- Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers (424450)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000), Bakery Products (2050), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multi-Concept / Global QSR Chains (Mixed Menus) (THAFAAAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ethnic Bakery, Confectionery & Snacks Wholesale (AFAIAIAE), Confectionery, Snacks & Specialty Sweets Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAM)
Keywords
Where Churromania is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Miami
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Churromania business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others
Revenue model
- Franchise Fees and Royalties: CHURROMANIA charges franchisees a $30,000 franchise fee per unit plus an ongoing flat 8% royalty on net sales. No marketing fees are charged. This is the primary recurring revenue stream.
- Retail Store Sales: Revenue from churro and related product sales at franchise and company-owned locations, including mall stores, Walmart stores, food trucks, and kiosks. Average Unit Volumes are $584,000 per store.
- Retail Frozen Product Sales: CrispyMania Pre-Fried Churros are sold through retail grocery partners including Publix (1,226+ stores), as well as specialty retailers and distributors across Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma, generating revenue through wholesale distribution to retail outlets.
- Delivery and Third-Party Platform Revenue: Churros, tequeños, empanadas, shakes, and smoothies sold through Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub delivery platforms, with delivery fees retained by the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Initial Investment Range |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Average Unit Volume (AUV) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels12 records
Churromania product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Churromania is the world's largest churro franchise, selling freshly made churros (traditional, twisted, filled, and bite-sized) alongside complementary items such as churro ice-cream sandwiches, ChurroDog, tequeños, empanadas, frappes, and beverages through franchise stores in malls, shopping centers, and Walmart locations across 10+ countries. The brand also distributes a frozen retail product line, CrispyMania Pre-Fried Churros, through Publix and specialty grocery channels, and licenses its franchise system to qualified operators.
Product overview
Churromania is a churro-focused quick-service restaurant and franchise brand offering freshly made churros in multiple formats (traditional, twisted, filled, and bite-sized), complemented by ice-cream products, savory items (ChurroDog, Tequeños, Empanadas), and beverages (Hot Chocolate, Coffee, Frappmania). The company operates a franchise model with over 120 locations and also sells CrispyMania Pre-Fried Churros as a frozen retail product in grocery stores nationwide. A social responsibility product line (Music Mania) supports the Miami Music Project charity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CrispyMania: Pre-fried churros product line available in grocery stores and as retail frozen product.
- TwistMania
- BigMania
- BiteMania
- ChurroBites
- ChurroDog
- Frappmania
Quantifiable outcome
- Average Unit Volume of $584,000 per store (FY 2024)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Churromania
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Churromania technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature2 records
Churromania partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Ripley's Believe It or Not! (Amelia Earhart Park, Hialeah)flagshipVenue partnership for the Guinness World Record attempt event. The live event was held at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Christmas Park at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah, Florida, December 12, 2025, drawing thousands of attendees and global livestream viewership.
- Miami Music ProjectcoreSince September 2022, CHURROMANIA joined forces with the Miami Music Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that uses music for social transformation. CHURROMANIA's Music Mania product line donates all proceeds to the organization. CEO Ariel Acosta-Rubio serves as Chairman of Miami Music Project.
- Publix Super MarketscoreStrategic retail distribution partnership launched in 2021. CrispyMania Pre-Fried Churros are distributed through 1,226+ Publix stores nationwide across the U.S., significantly expanding brand visibility and consumer access to frozen products.
- WalmartcoreStrategic partnership enabling CHURROMANIA to open store-within-store locations inside Walmart stores, capitalizing on Walmart's high foot traffic. First Walmart location opened in 2012 in Miami, FL. The partnership is a key element of CHURROMANIA's expansion strategy.
- Uber EatscoreDelivery platform partnership enabling CHURROMANIA products to be ordered through the Uber Eats app and delivered to customers' locations, expanding access beyond physical store visits.
- DoorDashcoreDelivery platform partnership enabling CHURROMANIA products to be ordered through DoorDash for direct delivery, complementing in-store and other delivery channel presence.
- GrubhubcoreDelivery platform partnership enabling CHURROMANIA products to be ordered through Grubhub, providing another convenient delivery channel for consumers.
- International Franchise Association (IFA)minorCHURROMANIA is a proud member of the IFA, the leading organization representing excellence and ethical standards in the franchise industry worldwide.
- ATAR360 PodcastminorCHURROMANIA sponsors the ATAR360 Podcast, a platform where entrepreneurship stories become lessons for growth and success, aligning the brand with the entrepreneurial audience.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves14 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Churromania competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cinnabon: Global cinnamon-roll QSR franchise with strong mall presence and a single-product-category focus. Cinnabon is the most directly comparable mall-based dessert QSR franchise to Churromania, sharing the churro-adjacent sweet-snack positioning and similar franchise model.
- Auntie Anne's: Pretzel-focused QSR franchise with dominant mall presence and similar franchise economics. Auntie Anne's shares the mall-channel concentration and impulse-purchase sweet/savory snack positioning that defines Churromania's US footprint.
- Nestlé Toll House Café: Dessert and cookie QSR franchise with mall and kiosk formats. Comparable to Churromania in being a single-category dessert franchise competing for the same mall kiosk real estate and consumer occasion.
- Great American Cookies: Mall-based cookie and dessert cake QSR franchise. Directly comparable mall-channel footprint and impulse-purchase dessert occasion to Churromania's mall stores.
- Mrs. Fields: Cookie and dessert QSR brand with retail product distribution. Comparable to Churromania in offering both fresh in-store desserts (cookies) and a packaged retail CPG line, mirroring Churromania's fresh-store-plus-CrispyMania-frozen-retail dual model.
Broad incumbents
- Krispy Kreme: Public global donut/dessert QSR brand with both fresh retail stores and grocery CPG distribution. Comparable to Churromania in operating a dual fresh-store + retail-grocery (Publix) channel strategy for a single-product sweet snack.
- Cold Stone Creamery: Ice cream and dessert QSR franchise owned by Kahala Brands. Competitor for the mall dessert occasion with a broader frozen-dessert menu compared to Churromania's churro-centric offerings.
- TCBY: Frozen yogurt and dessert QSR franchise. Competitor for sweet-snack occasions in malls and shopping centers; relevant comparable for evaluating Churromania's frozen-dessert menu extensions (Frappmania, Churro Ice-Cream).
Emerging players
- Pretzelmaker: Smaller-scale pretzel QSR franchise with mall presence. Comparable at a smaller scale as a single-category mall snack franchise competing for the same limited mall real estate as Churromania.
- Duck Donuts: Made-to-order donut franchise with a growing footprint and franchise model. Comparable to Churromania as a smaller specialty dessert QSR franchise competing in the impulse-purchase sweet-snack occasion, though without the international and frozen-retail footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Churromania social profiles
Digital presenceChurromania financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Churromania leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Churromania funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Churromania M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Churromania
What does Churromania do?
Churromania is the world's largest churro franchise, selling freshly made churros (traditional, twisted, filled, and bite-sized) alongside complementary items such as churro ice-cream sandwiches, ChurroDog, tequeños, empanadas, frappes, and beverages through franchise stores in malls, shopping centers, and Walmart locations across 10+ countries. The brand also distributes a frozen retail product line, CrispyMania Pre-Fried Churros, through Publix and specialty grocery channels, and licenses its franchise system to qualified operators.
Is Churromania a public or private company?
Churromania is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Churromania founded?
Churromania was founded in 1997. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Churromania based?
Churromania is headquartered in Miami, United States, in the North America region.
How does Churromania make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Franchise Fees and Royalties are the primary driver. The others are retail Store Sales, retail Frozen Product Sales and delivery and Third-Party Platform Revenue.
Who are Churromania's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cinnabon, Auntie Anne's, Nestlé Toll House Café, Great American Cookies and Mrs. Fields. Broad incumbents are Krispy Kreme, Cold Stone Creamery and TCBY. Emerging players are Pretzelmaker and Duck Donuts.
Does Churromania have an API?
No public API is recorded for Churromania.
What industry is Churromania in?
Churromania's product category is Churro Franchise / Quick-Service Dessert Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAAAO, Multi-Concept / Global QSR Chains (Mixed Menus), with a secondary code of AFAIAIAE, Ethnic Bakery, Confectionery & Snacks Wholesale. Its NAICS code is 4452 and its SIC code is 2000.