Page 70 - #46 English

Iced

Article: by Sutdrip
Photos: by Ge!lato

Getting to know

Gelato Business

Gelato Business! Wouldn’t it be great to have ice
cold dessert during the hot weather? YES!, for me it’s al-
ways a good time for ice cream or Gelato. In the previous
issue, we have mentioned about how Gelato is different
from ice cream. Let me remind you; Gelato is somewhat
healthier in terms of lower fat contents than ice cream.
What is more, there are no preservatives, artificial flavour-
ing and coloring in Gelato! There are Gelateria or Gelato
Cafe at every corner in Italy but it is still not as popular
in Asia. We are still used to our local fruits flavoured ice
cream. We have recently met with someone who own
one of the popular Gelato chain in Singapore, Mr. Dylan
Ooi. Here are his opinions of the gelato business in Asia.
Dylan graduated from University of New South
Wales, Sydney Australia with a Mechanical honors degree.
He went on to pursue his first career in the semiconductor
industry. At the height of his career, he led a new product
development team in the company. Although he was bring-
ing in the dough, he had something else in mind: to be his gelato as him. The next thing on his agenda is to delight
own boss. international customers the same way he delighted local
In his search for greater satisfaction, he decided Singaporeans.
to quit his high-paying job to pursue his passion in gelato. Dylan, who also a brand ambassador for Fabbri,
He started with a franchise gelato business in Malaysia. or Amarena Fabbri, a very well established Italian brand
After 5 years of operating the franchise he decided who makes delicious cherries in Amarena syrup since
to sold the business away and started his own brand 1905, and it is now one of the world leader in supplying
in Singapore. He then spent two years learning from Gelato ingredients. During the post-war years and ensu-
local chefs, attending related courses and researching on ing economic recovery, the launch of a new product gave
the Internet to perfect the craft. His hard work finally Fabbri yet another resounding success: cremolato. The
materialized into Ge!ato. compound pastes in classic and fruit flavors were used to
Today, he owns 5 Ge!ato outlets in Singapore and make Gelato by simply adding water or milk. The product
an ISO22000 certified central kitchen. His business has formed a market niche for Fabbri in which the company
expanded from retail to wholesale supply. His corporate remains the undisputed leader. Fabbri, the astounding com-
clients include fine dining restaurants and 5-star hotels. pany from Italy, founded Dylan after his years of learning
With more than 10 years of experience in the gelato Gelato and made him, a Brand Ambassador in Asia. Dylan
business, he is set to impart his knowledge and experi- mentioned: “Fabbri found me in Asia and my knowledge
ence with individuals who share the same passion in in Gelato expanded!”
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