A new Jeremiah’s Italian Ice is coming to Manatee County’s North River-Parrish area

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, which opened in Bradenton in 2021 and in Lakewood Ranch in 2022, now has its sights set on the explosively growing North River-Parrish area.

The planned store at 6809 Buffalo Road would be in the Publix-anchored Gateway Commons Shopping Center on the southeast corner of Interstate 75 and Moccasin Wallow Road.

Jeremiah’s would go into existing space at the shopping center, according to paperwork filed with Manatee County Development Services.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice serves more than 40 flavors of Italian Ice as well as soft serve ice cream. Its most popular offering is Gelati, a layering of swirls of Italian ice and soft ice cream.

Steve and Lisa Mountcastle and their son and his wife, Jake and Lauren Lopez, opened their first Bradenton area store at 2525 Manatee Ave. W. in July 2021, with plans to open two more franchises in Manatee County.

In 2022, they opened their second store at 14529 State Road 70 E., in the Braden River Shopping Center.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice company, founded in 1996 in Orlando, also has stores in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Steve Mountcastle previously told the Bradenton Herald he was attracted to the franchise opportunity by the business he saw Jeremiah’s Italian Ice doing in the Orlando area.

Mountcastle said he saw customers lined up to buy frozen treats, and was impressed by the quality of the product and the brand’s involvement in community outreach.

“The Jeremiah’s brand itself offers such a high-energy and fun customer experience to its guests that we just had to become involved with the business,” Mountcastle previously said.

The family became aware of the Bradenton area and its business potential while visiting Steve and Lisa’s son, Ryan Mountcastle, during Baltimore Orioles spring training in Sarasota.

Ryan Mountcastle is a first baseman and left fielder for the Orioles.