Gelato in the Valleys
We visited Adam, who was selling his homemade Gelato at an event in Cheltenham, to ask him about his business and how he was getting on since receiving an Opportunities Award grant from Barnwood Trust for freezer equipment and marketing materials.
I’m Adam, I’m currently an intern moving into full time employment but aside from that I am doing a hobby/side-line project entitled Adam’s Gelato. I make and sell home-made ice cream in the Stroud Valleys.
It’s going really well! I’m just trying to maintain it at a level I want to keep it, kind of as an ongoing hobby rather than trying to expand, but it’s to do with the quality of the ice cream, it’s not whipped, it’s made by hand. It doesn’t need churning and once it goes in the freezer it doesn’t need any attention.
It started as a family trip to Florence where we spent the day under the tuition of an Italian chef learning how to make Italian food, pizza, pasta, bruschetta and then we finished off with Amaretti Gelato and Tiramisu. I came away and had a go at making some and it just went from there!
I had a go at making some of the recipes and surprisingly the Amaretti Gelato was quite easy to make – you didn’t have to churn it in any way, you didn’t have to give it the attention in the freezer, it became really popular amongst friends and family. Then I started to increase my range of flavours and got the idea of selling it to the public. I do events like here today and I do private orders – weddings, fetes etc…
In terms of moving forward we are changing over to paper pots so that it’s more sustainable for the environment. It’s going to contribute a lot to recycling in terms of our plastic usage being reduced quite a lot. There has been a lot of customer demand as well as in the news about trying to reduce our intake of plastic so transferring to paper pots is ideal for long term sustainability.
After applying for a grant I went for an interview with Barnwood Trust and they gave me the support to be able to purchase all this equipment. That’s helped me to grow a little bit. We’re very thankful for that support.
What advice would you give to others?
Enjoy it. Don’t take it too seriously. Just do what you want to do, find something you enjoy and make the most of it.
Probably the biggest challenges would be those days where you don’t do quite so well, where the footfall isn’t great but you’ve just got to learn to be resilient and cope with the everyday challenges. Weather can be a big thing. The main thing is that you can get your name out there and take these opportunities to meet new people. You never know what doors and new opportunities it may open up for you.
What would you say to people who were thinking of getting in touch with Barnwood Trust?
I’d say just go for it, they are very happy to help. Just go along to the initial meeting and just see what they say, take any advice on and don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask them for any support that you might need.
Opportunities Awards
The Opportunities Award opens up exciting new possibilities – such as training, equipment or clothing that may help you towards a job, volunteering or setting up a new business. It can also be used to help with materials for a hobby or equipment for a sport you enjoy. Visit the grant page here to learn more or email grants@barnwoodtrust.org if you have any questions.
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