Gelato Messina to keep pushing boundaries in 2015
Moves in to a larger factory to keep up with customer demands.
"Our aim for this year is to keep pushing the boundaries," Declan Lee, Director and Co-Founder of Gelato Messina, told QSR Media.
One thing he's excited about is the brand's new factory that they've moved into to keep up with production demands. The new location is six times larger than its previous factory and they has invested in a lot of custom made equipment for both testing and creating new products.
"We've created a headquarters bringing our factory and production together with the head office, which allows a lot more creativity and organic idea growth," he noted, adding, "the new space also allows us to hold our sell-out gelato appreciation classes in our new custom built classroom. It's situated right inside the factory, so anyone attending can see what's happening in the factory as the class takes place."
SAME PRODUCT, DIFFERENT EXECUTION
Gelato Messina are always on their toes, making sure to keep gelato always exciting for its customers.
In 2014, the brand successfully launched its Dessert Bar in Darlinghurst, creating a 'choose your own adventure sundae bar' where customers can choose a suggestive sundae or create their own.
They also launched 'Messina's Lucky Fortune Bar' at Night Noodle Markets in Sydney and Melbourne, creating four Asian inspired pot luck pies and personalized Messina fortune cookies. Lee shared that the Fortune Bars were very successful, selling over 50,000 sundaes.
Gelato Messina, in addition, participated in last year's Vivid Sydney with its pop up store Psychedeliv Psundae serving up four colorful sundaes. Most recently, the brand opened Messina's International Soup Kitchen' at the Royal Croquet Club where they served up four flavours of 'dessert in a can'.
"It's not soup of course but delicious layered soft served sundaes which was a success," he shared.
KEEPING IT EXCITING
Bringing over the success from last year, Gelato Messina will continue to be working with a lot of festivals and events this year both in Sydney and Melbourne, said Lee.
"Each time we put our names on a new concept for a festival, we want it to be something no one has seen before or could have ever dreamt of," he added.
Lee hinted several unusual brand collaborations and events coming up this year, noting that fans should keep their eyes peeled for upcoming announcements.
In addition, Gelato Messina expands locally and internationally this year. Kicked off by it's second interstate store in Queensland this year and the brand's first international store which just opened in Las Vegas last month.
"There are so many suburbs, cities and states that we want to open in, unfortunately we can only open one at a time, so some areas will have to wait," he noted.
