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Inspired by a trip to Italy, Jasmine Chida founded SweetCup Gelato and Sorbet Originale in Montrose in 2012 to bring authentic Italian-style gelato to the Houston area.
“There's just so much about Italy that just opened up my eyes, and I saw a different perspective,” Chida said. “Ingredients are really emphasized in Italy, and it just left a lasting impression on me.”
In 2025, Chida said she expanded her business to Cypress to expand her products and clientele.
The backstory
Upon returning from a honeymoon trip to Italy in 2010, Chida said she was disappointed to find that a city as diverse as Houston lacked a local authentic gelato shop. The realization led her to use her master of business administration degree and further her studies to open her own gelato shop.
When seeking support, Chida said a business adviser warned her she was likely to fail. While seeking business loans from banks, she was pegged with a 90% failure rate.
“I brought my business plan, gelato and my certificate, and he basically told me, 'Look, I'm just trying to protect you because it's a dog-eat-dog world, and I don't think someone like you would be able to handle it,'” she said.
Despite several hiccups and with minimum support, Chida was determined to fulfill her dream.
“I really didn't have a lot of support, so what I did was I sold my car to get cash for the business and for equipment from Italy,” Chida said. “And by the end of the second year I started slowly breaking even ... and that's when I knew I was going to make it.”
Today, in addition to its Montrose and Cypress location, SweetCup Gelato and Sorbet Originale has an off-site manufacturing facility located in Montrose. Prior to expanding to Cypress, Chida said SweetCup Gelato and Sorbet Originale sold its products at Central Market.
Specializing in gelato, sorbet and frozen yogurt made from scratch in small batches, SweetCup Gelato and Sorbet Originale offers 48 rotating flavors made with ingredients imported from Italy as well as local ingredients.
With blueberries handpicked from Moorhead's Blueberry Farm by Chida herself, Chida said some flavors offered this summer include the blueberry lemonade sorbet, blueberry sangria sorbet and blueberry pie frozen yogurt.
One of the most unusual yet beloved flavors Chida said she's created is the Vampire Delight, a caramelized garlic gelato.
In addition, a few popular menu items offered include the grapefruit lavender sorbet, guava creamsicle and Leonard’s Chocolate Sorbet, a dairy-free menu item named after a customer.
