the icecream market | Italy

1.1 Definition and scope of the study

Ice cream is made by mixing different ingredients and freezing them. It is difficult to estimate the date of birth of ice cream in history, but one of the oldest mentions of ice cream dates back to the royal table of Charles II of England in 1671. Nevertheless, Italian ice cream heritage is recognized worldwide. The term gelato refers to a particular method of making and mixing certain ingredients, so there are different types of gelato. The first distinction refers to the base used to produce the final product:

• White base (e.g., milk, cream, butter),
• Watery base.

A second distinction relates to the result of production:

• Industrial ice cream,
• Artisanal  ice cream.

The global market is growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 4.2% between 2022 and 2030. The global market is highly fragmented, but some of the major market players include Unilever, Mars, Nestlé, General Mills, Lotte, and Dunkin' Brands.

Italy is among the largest ice cream producers in Europe and has a very important distribution network in the territory. Moreover, ice cream consumption does not seem to rely that much on seasons, tastes, and eating habits. The same is true for industrial ice cream, whose market has good growth prospects despite a highly competitive environment.

The ice cream and sorbet market is growing overall in Italy and benefits from the influx of tourists each year. However, Covid-19 has had a strong impact on this market, which has been transformed by the crisis and the decline in Italians' purchasing power.

The ice cream market is a dynamic market subject to many innovations and offers a wide range of choices to adapt to the preferences and dietary changes of its consumers. As a result, many innovations emerge every year to convert more people to consumption: flavors evolve, textures are reinvented, ingredients are modernized, etc. Like any consumer market, ice cream does not escape the emergence of organic and responsible consumption.

However, a few large global groups dominate the market, including the groups mentioned above. As for retailers, these are the Large and Medium-Sized Supermarkets (MSGs), which concentrate the vast majority of sales, especially Conad, for which up to 87 percent of ice cream shelves are dedicated to private labels.