Inspiring Conversations with Alberto Della Casa and Letizia de Lucia of Cool Gelato Italiano

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alberto Della Casa and Letizia de Lucia. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Alberto Della Casa (Modena, Italy) and Letizia de Lucia (Chieti, Italy), after obtaining their Master’s Degrees in Business Economics and Agribusiness, began in the early ‘90s careers in Italy as food market analysts and consultants for international firms, industrial food groups, national and international public agencies; and international industrial food consulting companies.

They also expanded their careers in research and data analysis, product development, food safety, and publishing, as journalists for international specialized newspapers and magazines. Following their passion for Italian food excellence and after 20 years in the food market analysis, in October 2008 they moved to Arizona with an inspirational goal; educate Americans on what really means “Made in Italy vs. Italian Sounding food”.

Definitely, the use of geographical names, images, and trademarks that resemble Italian Culture to promote and market products that cannot be associated with Italy. That represents the most striking form of unfair competition and deceives consumers, especially in the agri-food sector.

During consulting activities and food market analysis, they realized that there was not an offer of real Italian gelato in Arizona, especially in Scottsdale, their new hometown. Therefore, following their passion for gelato, they decided to “change careers” and invest in artisanal gelato production, knowing that passion, knowledge, and hard work are key to business success.

They took several training courses at the Carpigiani Gelato University, in Bologna, Italy; they were trained in Chieti by worldwide known “Maestro Gelatiere” Massimo Barbetta, Italian Champion of Artisanal Gelato. On February 14, 2012, they opened Cool Gelato Italiano, a multiple times award winner in the gelato category, including Best of Phoenix, Best of The Valley, and TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was not a smooth road at all. In the beginning, it was difficult to establish a constant demand for real artisanal gelato in Scottsdale, because we never compromised excellence; indeed we will never do, on flavors, ingredients, and production techniques.

In order to offer an excellent product, you need to make gelato from scratch, using the hot process, which requires two different units, a pasteurizer, and a batch freezer. Second, it requires knowledge of the process and the products to adjust the recipes to any change in the environment and ingredients. Also, it is required high-quality ingredients and knowledge on how to combine them. As a matter of fact, Cool Gelato Italiano will never produce a batch made with industrial pre-mixed ingredients.

Likewise, we wanted to make Cool Gelato Italiano a real Italian gelato store, where the leading role is played by the flavors, ingredients, texture, and shelf life, and not by decorations and toppings placed on the gelato. Our gelato is made with the best ingredients on the market, it doesn’t need anything on top! We felt like educators at the beginning. We patiently went through, and still go with the new clients, about the process and ingredients we use, and why our artisanal gelato is so different from the rest of other frozen sweet treats.

After ten years in business, we can say we have done an excellent job, but there’s still a long way to go to place the “real” artisanal gelato on the spot it deserves! We won’t give up to reach this goal! In the beginning, flavors with “strange” names, such as Stracciatella, Fior di Latte, Bronte Pistachio PDO, Piedmont Hazelnut PGI, Modica Chocolate PGI, Gianduia, and Crema Pasticcera were an issue. But we did not give up, and now these are basic flavors in our showcase.

At any day, if we run out of Stracciatella or Bronte Pistachio PDO, we are in trouble! In addition, the vegan flavors, known as sorbets were difficult to establish as a constant demand for our clients. It was a surprise to hear customers laughing at the vegans because they were made without milk.

It was even rewarding asking them to try a sorbet and see the smile on their face after a bite. Now we can say that our sorbets are very important in our store. We must have at least 6-7 sorbets in our showcase, otherwise, our clients complain.

We can say we worked hard, we never gave up and after a few months in business, we started to be rewarded by our clients, fine dining restaurants and chefs; and food editors. We understood that we were on the right path when a food critic ended his review with the following words “Each flavor at Cool Gelato Italiano is a scoop of luscious indulgence in a colorful cup.

The only thing missing is the bow”.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Cool Gelato Italiano is made of arts and crafts, authentic, all-natural, artisanal gelato and sorbet freshly made from scratch on-site. It is a perfect healthy balance, where chance has no role to play. Artisanal high-quality gelato requires attention to detail, the whole process, and the constant monitoring of ingredients.

There are no shortcuts to reaching success. Cool Gelato Italiano never compromises on ingredients, using the excellence of the worldwide agriculture and food industry, from the Bronte Pistachio PDO to the Japanese Yuzu, from the Piedmont Hazelnut PGI to the Avola Almond, from the Amarene di Modena PGI to the Modica chocolate PGI.

On top of that, a deep knowledge of ingredients, and the production process; the curiosity leads us to research. When we say research, we mean new ingredients, new raw material combinations, developing new flavors, savory flavors, and new production techniques. “Excellence comes when passion and tradition catch modernity”.

We are very proud to hear most of our clients say that our gelato is the best they ever had, even in Italy!

Contact Info:

• Email: info@coolgelatoitaliano.com
• Website: www.coolgelatoitaliano.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coolgelatoitaliano/

Image Credits
Cool Gelato Italiano