Gelato and pastry have several things in common: both pursue quality, they both use carefully chosen ingredients, pay attention to online and offline communication and operate in attractively designed points of sale, where they also organise activities.

The market is buoyant. “People are thronging to Italy’s historic cities and its seaside resorts, and excellent results were recorded in June: a signal that tourism has recovered to good levels, and allowing us to hope that this will be a great season,” says Simone Andreani, brand ambassador and business development manager for IFI. “End customers are looking for genuine, high-quality products from the local areas they have visited.”

As for the professionals, Andreani points to an increasing attention to environmental sustainability, quality and functionality: “the search is on for solutions capable of making the food displayed visible, maintaining the right temperature and humidity levels, saving energy and offering ergonomic efficiency on daily activities.” IFI responds with products like the pastry and praline display case where products are all displayed on the same level, the lighting can be modulated and the system opens with a single movement. The vertical chilled unit gives all-round visibility of the products displayed, while viewable tubs combine perfect storage conditions with the visual appeal of the gelato in the display case. The multi-level unit, finally satisfies the need for a good presentation in pastry shops where space is limited.

“The pastry and gelato sector is going well globally, and the market is growing, in terms of technological developments and establishment design,” says Giampiero Mariottini, marketing manager at ISA. “The future is marked by two key elements. Energy saving: gelato display cases consume a lot. Energy ratings were introduced for our sector in March 2021, and gelato makers will be paying more and more attention to this, given its economic and environmental relevance. European norms on refrigerant gases have been even tighter since last year, so natural refrigerants need to be used, on devices that consume less energy.”

As for the future of the gelateria: “the most successful will be those which, thanks to multi-functional devices, can turn into pastry shops, in line with the seasonal nature of the business, using equipment that can be transformed to suit the products being sold at a given time of the year.”

ISA equipment is 4.0 and makes it possible to monitor the indicators of well-functioning display units, and to respond promptly to routine and exceptional maintenance requirements.

“The trends we are noticing in pastry packaging are linked mainly to the use of ever more recyclable materials, and of products that are aesthetically attractive, practical and respectful of the environment,” says Alessandro Perli, head of Italy sales with Scotton, which expects a growth market for the summer: “everyone wants to go back to being able to freely enjoy pastry and gelato products and that is good news for all those working in the relevant sectors. Customers will be looking above all for quality and new ideas.”

Scotton has always worked with recyclable materials: “we are sensitive to the need to respect the environment and the future of the planet in every way possible, especially with younger generations in mind.”