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Kono USA enhances dessert line with Ghirardelli

Kono USA has a new partnership with Ghirardelli that will add four treat cones to its menu.

March 4, 2016

Kono USA, the franchisor that introduced the pizza-in-a-cone concept to the United States, has a new partnership with Ghirardelli that will add four treat cones to its menu. The dessert line, part of the "Made With Ghirardelli" program, is available at all "The Original" Kono Pizza and Kono-To-Go franchise locations, according to a company press release.

The new treat cones include:

• Triple Chocolate made with Ghirardelli chocolate and graham cracker crumbs
• Caramel Nut Satisfaction made with Ghirardelli chocolate and caramel and chopped peanuts
• Coco-Nutty Delight made with Ghirardelli chocolate, shredded coconut and sliced almonds
• White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake made with cheesecake, Ghirardelli white chocolate sauce and raspberry pie filling

"The Original" Kono Pizza and Kono-To-Go locations offer customizable breakfast, deli, pizza and dessert cones filled with ingredients inspired by Italian recipes and baked in three minutes in the brand's proprietary oven.

"Ghirardelli's quality products and standard of excellence perfectly align with our own," said Carlo Ruggiero, co-founder of Kono USA. "Our customers get excited every time we offer a new kind of cone, but the ''Made With Ghirardelli'' line is going to put them over the top."

Kono USA Co-founder David Ragosa noted that the new line of dessert cones are a great way to introduce the company's new tagline, "Fresh Eats, Treats & Sweets" as the brand continues to grow. The company has more than 40 franchise locations in various stages of development by the end of the first fiscal quarter in 2016, the release stated.

"Our pizza cones are a core product and always will be," Ragosa said. "But as we continue to expand our menu, we are becoming more of a one-stop shop for either a meal during any part of the day, a perfect snack between meals, or a treat to satisfy a sweet tooth. The new treat cones in our ''Made With Ghirardelli'' line are a sweet addition to our menu."

"The Ghirardelli Brand has earned a premium image by offering the highest quality chocolates for over 150 years," said Chris Eklem, vice president for the Professional Products Division at Ghirardelli. "We are happy to work closely with Kono Pizza to enhance their already high quality offerings with our premium chocolate and caramel."