Bravo Gelato
Bravo Gelato is a Nashville-based artisan gelato manufacturer founded in 2003 that produces 100-plus gelato and sorbet varieties for direct-to-consumer retail at its Opryland storefront and wholesale distribution to restaurants and stores across Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Bravo Gelato does
Bravo Gelato, Inc. is a Nashville, Tennessee-based artisan gelato manufacturer founded in 2003 by Christie Hauck and his wife Melissa after encountering Italian gelato during a family vacation. The company produces gelato, sorbets, and ice cream using traditional Italian methods refined through consultation with a world-renowned gelato maker, with a portfolio of more than 100 gelato varieties and 40-plus sorbet flavors spanning Italian, American/Southern, fresh fruit, liquor, and savory categories. Production emphasizes local ingredient sourcing, including Hatcher buttermilk, Olive & Sinclair chocolates, Ed Johnson honey, Jack Daniel's whiskey, and Yazoo beers.
The company operates two physical sites in Nashville: a retail storefront at 2800 Opryland Drive serving individual consumers with in-store pickup and local delivery, and a distribution facility at 863 Elm Hill Pike supporting wholesale operations. Wholesale distribution extends to restaurants and retail stores across four southeastern U.S. states — Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. Marketing is primarily organic, relying on the company website (bravogelato.com) and a Facebook page for customer acquisition.
Bravo Gelato is a privately held, founder-owned business with no external investors, no disclosed funding rounds, and no parent company. It employs between 11 and 50 people. Revenue, financials, and detailed pricing are not publicly disclosed. The company has no patents, trademarks, certifications, or formal industry awards documented in the available data.
Bravo Gelato firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bravo Gelato
- Legal name
- Bravo Gelato, Inc.
- Website
- https://bravogelato.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bravo Gelato is a Nashville-based artisan gelato manufacturer founded in 2003 that produces 100-plus gelato and sorbet varieties for direct-to-consumer retail at its Opryland storefront and wholesale distribution to restaurants and stores across Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bravo Gelato industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisan Gelato / Frozen Desserts
- NAICS
- Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)
- SIC
- Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Gelato Manufacturing (AFAHAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA)
Keywords
Where Bravo Gelato is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Bravo Gelato business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Gelato Sales: Direct sales of artisan gelato, ice cream, and sorbets to individual consumers at the Opryland retail location with in-store pickup and local delivery
- Wholesale Distribution: B2B wholesale supply of gelato products to restaurants and stores in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Bravo Gelato product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bravo Gelato manufactures artisan Italian gelato, ice cream, and sorbets using traditional Italian methods, offering over 100 gelato flavors and over 40 sorbet varieties. The company sells directly to consumers at its Nashville Opryland storefront and distributes wholesale to restaurants and stores across Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. It emphasizes local ingredient sourcing and proprietary recipes developed in consultation with a world-renowned gelato maker.
Product overview
Bravo Gelato is an artisan Italian gelato company founded in 2003 by Christie Hauck. The company operates as a single-product business centered on handcrafted gelato, which is Italian ice cream made with roughly half the fat of American ice cream. The product portfolio includes the core Gelato line (available in over 100 varieties across Italian, chocolate, American/Southern, fresh fruit, and liquor flavor categories) and Sorbets (a separate line of fruit-based frozen desserts with over 40 varieties). The company also offers wholesale distribution services to restaurants and stores across Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. All products are made using local ingredients whenever possible, including Hatcher buttermilk, Olive & Sinclair chocolates, Ed Johnson honey, Jack Daniel's whiskey, and Yazoo beers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gelato Artisan Italian gelato — a frozen dessert made with sugar, cream, milk, and natural flavorings, with roughly half the fat of American ice cream. Available in over 100 varieties spanning Italian classics, American/Southern-inspired flavors, coffee, fresh fruit, liquor-infused, and savory options. Sold to both individual consumers at the Opryland retail store and wholesale to restaurants and stores in the southeastern U.S.
- Sorbets Fruit-based frozen desserts made of sugar syrup infused with juice or other flavorings such as lime or mint. Available in over 40 varieties including fruit options, wine-infused varieties (e.g., Chardonnay, Champagne, Peach Bellini), herb-infused options (e.g., Basil, Lemon Basil, Cucumber Lime), and specialty flavors (e.g., Mango Habanero, Mint Julep, Tequila Sunrise). Sold alongside gelato to retail and wholesale customers.
- Wholesale Gelato Supply Bulk wholesale supply of Bravo Gelato's artisan gelato, ice cream, and sorbets to restaurants and retail stores across Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. Distributed from the company's Nashville warehouse facility at 863 Elm Hill Pike.
Companies that use Bravo Gelato
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Bravo Gelato technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Bravo Gelato partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Bravo Gelato competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Coolhaus: Artisan ice cream/sandwich brand with grocery pints and scoop-shop presence. Comparable to Bravo as a small-batch, flavor-forward frozen dessert maker competing in the same premium niche.
- Salt & Straw: Artisan scoop-shop and pint brand known for unusual, locally-inspired flavors. Comparable to Bravo on flavor innovation, small-batch production, and premium positioning, though with broader geographic reach.
- Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Artisan ice cream/sorbet maker with scoop shops, nationwide pint shipping, and grocery distribution. Closely comparable business model (DTC retail + wholesale pints + e-commerce shipping) and similar premium, ingredient-led positioning.
- Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: Premium artisan ice cream brand with scoop shops, grocery pints, and DTC shipping. Comparable to Bravo as a premium, ingredient-focused frozen dessert maker pursuing both retail and wholesale channels.
- Gelato Fiasco: Small-batch gelato maker with scoop shops and grocery pints in the U.S. Very directly comparable on product (gelato), artisan positioning, and combined retail + wholesale model.
- Talenti Gelato: National gelato brand owned by Unilever, sold in pints at grocery and foodservice. Directly comparable as a gelato manufacturer with broad distribution and a similar flavor-forward product line.
Broad incumbents
- Cold Stone Creamery: National franchised ice cream scoop shop chain. Comparable as a competing scoop-shop experience for consumers, though operating at very different scale and via franchise model.
- Marble Slab Creamery: Franchised premium ice cream chain offering made-to-order frozen desserts. Comparable as a competing scoop-shop channel for consumers seeking premium ice cream/gelato experiences.
- Blue Bell Creameries: Regional U.S. ice cream manufacturer with strong grocery and foodservice presence in the southern U.S. Overlaps directly with Bravo's southeastern wholesale footprint and premium-but-mainstream positioning.
- Häagen-Dazs: Iconic premium ice cream brand with national retail, scoop shops, and foodservice. Comparable as a broader premium frozen dessert incumbent operating across the channels Bravo serves, but at much larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bravo Gelato social profiles
Digital presenceBravo Gelato financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bravo Gelato leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Bravo Gelato funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bravo Gelato 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 Bravo Gelato
What does Bravo Gelato do?
Bravo Gelato manufactures artisan Italian gelato, ice cream, and sorbets using traditional Italian methods, offering over 100 gelato flavors and over 40 sorbet varieties. The company sells directly to consumers at its Nashville Opryland storefront and distributes wholesale to restaurants and stores across Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. It emphasizes local ingredient sourcing and proprietary recipes developed in consultation with a world-renowned gelato maker.
Is Bravo Gelato a public or private company?
Bravo Gelato is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bravo Gelato founded?
Bravo Gelato was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bravo Gelato based?
Bravo Gelato is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bravo Gelato make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Retail Gelato Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Distribution.
Who are Bravo Gelato's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Coolhaus, Salt & Straw, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Gelato Fiasco and Talenti Gelato. Broad incumbents are Cold Stone Creamery, Marble Slab Creamery, Blue Bell Creameries and Häagen-Dazs.
Does Bravo Gelato have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bravo Gelato.
What industry is Bravo Gelato in?
Bravo Gelato's product category is Artisan Gelato / Frozen Desserts. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAHAEAD, Gelato Manufacturing, with a secondary code of THAFAGAA, Ice Cream & Gelato Shops. Its NAICS code is 311520 and its SIC code is 2024.