Cinnamon rolls are generally considered a sinful treat, but Cinnaholic Gourmet Cinnamon Rolls, a well-known "Shark Tank" company, is rewriting the narrative and bringing vegan cinnamon rolls to downtown Pensacola next spring.
The latest location of Pensacola will be at 101 E. Romana St., Unit F1, next to the Bear Levin Studer Family YMCA.
The company that started on TV quickly became known for its ability to mix and match flavors. Every experience at each Cinnaholic location starts in the same way, taking fresh cinnamon rolls from the store’s oven and choosing about 20 different frosting flavors and toppings.
A 5 ounce cinnamon roll can be filled with ingredients, and the price per roll ranges from US$5 to US$8. The price factor depends on the location of the store, the flavor of the frosting and the ingredients.
The company’s best-selling product is the "Cookie Monster" roll, which is a cinnamon roll filled with cream cheese frosting, cookie dough, chocolate chips and chocolate sauce.
Owner Kari Mills said that buying a local store with her husband Gary stems from a career transition after the pandemic and a lifelong love of baking.
Mills herself has food allergies. She said that if she wants to enjoy delicious food, she is used to baking herself.
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When visiting Cinnaholic in Georgia, Mills was pleasantly surprised to find that the vegetarian rolls also did not contain dairy products, lactose, eggs and cholesterol. This allows her to choose to order a dessert when she is out at night without worrying about being restricted.
Pensacola's continued foot traffic and vibrant downtown scene attracted her and her husband to seize the opportunity to own and operate Cinnaholic's newest Panhandle location. The couple lived in Atlanta, Georgia when they bought the franchise in January.
When the "Shark Tank" episode featuring Cinnaholic was broadcast in 2014, the founders Shannon and Florian Radek marketed to the sharks, promising them "the best cinnamon roll experience in the world."
Trader Robert Herjavec was impressed by the freshly baked flavor of Radkes, and he plans to mass-produce these rolls and ship them all over the country. Owning fresh products is critical to Cinnaholic's business plan, so Radkes eventually rejected the proposal and switched to a franchise route.
The appearance in the show aroused the interest of franchisees across the country and Canada who want to open a store in their city and have personal contact with the way the store operates.
Each location usually cooperates with a local coffee shop, and the Pensacola location plans to provide drip coffee, iced coffee, and hot tea. Stores interested in cooperating can contact Mills by contacting cinnaholicpensacola@gmail.com.
After moving from Atlanta to Navarre, Mills said she felt that the location of the Southtowne apartment near YMCA would be a good place to attract the people of Pensacola.
"We look forward to meeting all the amazing people, sharing vegan cinnamon rolls and becoming part of the community," Mills said.
Cinnaholic Heather Stennis's vice president of marketing stated that Millses is not the only one who owns its franchise. She said that the company is in a rapid upward trend, opening about one new position in the United States and Canada every month.
Stennis said that as of December, 60 locations were open, 20 locations were under construction, and 30 commercial deals were under negotiation. Visitors are usually eager to enter, and most grand opening ceremonies will line up outside the door for about two hours.
Stennis said that part of this craze came from special promotions on the first day, such as the $1 coupon on the opening day. Towards the opening day, you can find promotions on Pensacola's location on the company's Facebook page.