Italian gelato makers, besides bucking the recession to increase sales in their home market, are going global by training Chinese and Japanese to make an ice-cream product that must be consumed fresh or perish.
The Italian market for fresh-served ice cream grew about 2 percent last year to 1.9 billion euros ($2.8 billion) as the economy contracted 1 percent, according to Confartigianato, the Rome-based trade association for gelato makers. Exports of ice cream, both fresh gelato and industrial versions, jumped 43 percent last year to more than 200 million euros.
“Lots of Italian ice-cream makers have already made good abroad, especially in central and eastern Europe,†said Giancarlo Timballo, head of the ice-cream professionals’ association. “China and Japan are the new frontier.â€