Sustainability and energy efficiency, digital transformation and customer experience/convenience. These are the three main trends which, says Mario Rodrigues, head of marketing at the Portuguese company José Júlio Jordao, are redefining the magical world of gelato. At home and abroad. “At the top of Jordao’s sales rank, there’s a tie. We have three models sharing the best-seller label: display cases for hospitality, display cases for food retail/modern grocery, and wall multi-decks. And there’s a common root in them: energy-saving, operational efficiency (easy to keep hygienic, good ergonomics, easy replenishment operations) and excellent product visibility to increase sales and impulse purchasing”.

Jordao’s internationalization started in 1983, and since then export sales have been growing yearly. “The focus now is on consolidating the existing export markets in and outside Europe. But opportunities lie just around the corner, and HostMilano is traditionally a source of new opportunities.”

A glimpse of the Italian market, the home of artisanal gelato, is offered by Giuseppe Bravo, CEO of Bravo S.p.a. “Today, the Italian market finds itself up against a very complex situation. Increases in commodity prices and energy resources are making life difficult for everyone, regardless of the position they occupy, so strategies need to be developed and solutions found to get us through the coming winter.”

While the sector’s key trends are sustainability and the optimisation and organisation of production, Bravo’s best-selling product is the machine that performs the functions of three machines for ice-cream making on its own, and which in the high-end version can carry out all the pastry-making operations: “at this historic moment it is essential for everyday economic requirements to optimise artisanal gelato and pastry production.”

One product that is becoming increasingly popular is the cream cooker, the latest innovations on which can be used for a whole range of very different products: custard, choux pastry, poché fruit, yogurt, fruit jelly, dense mixes, lemon cream, jam and so on.”

As for exports, “the market is requesting supplies of equipment. In such a precarious situation in which raw materials are becoming harder to source and prices are increasing, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet everyone’s needs, but we do have an excellent team and we are responding well.”

At this particular moment in time when there are crossovers in so many hospitality sectors, the strength of the Pastry and Gelato area of HostMilano is constant interaction with other worlds, from foodservice and bakery, to cafés and bars. The next edition of HostMilano will be held at fieramilano Rho from 13 to 17 October 2023.