The most prestigious gelato testimonials will meet at SIGEP 2017, the world-leading expo whose 38th edition will be held at Fiera dI Rimini from 21st to 25th January 2017 simultaneously with the biennial AB Tech Expo, which brings together the entire bakery sector.
Gelato will as always be a great player at SIGEP 2017, with a view to the European Artisan Gelato Day, which will be celebrated on 24th March. There is great expectation for the Gelato World Tour – German Challenge, which will be held on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd in Hall A6.
At the 38th SIGEP there will obviously also be the appointment with the Association of Italian Gelato Makers and the International Alberto Pica Memorial Contest in the South Foyer regarding the “Best bacio-flavoured gelato” (a chocolate hazelnut combination), “1000 ideas for a new flavour” and “The excellence of gelato cakes”.
At SIGEP 2017, the Italian Gelato Masters will propose initiatives based on the theme Gelato in-Forma. Attention will not only be focussed on the wholesomeness of Italian artisan gelato, but also the benefits the product has on the organisms of sportsmen and women. Gelato is energy and combines in a skilful balanced manner the nutrients required by our organism to perform in the best possible way and to keep in good form. As well as this, the product that Italian-made Gelato artisans offer clients of all ages is a product that is increasingly “informative” and “formative”, and with which they take great care during its preparation. The attention paid to the balance of sugars, control of fats and search for new flavours, enables to consider gelato not only as good nourishing food, but also functional and suited to all circumstances. At SIGEP, the Italian Gelato Masters will focus on the event’s theme with combinations of unusual intriguing flavours.
Special attention will be paid to charity: there will be the 4th edition of the Taste of Solidarity, the initiative organized in collaboration with the Banco della Solidarietà, involving the “sale” (in exchange for a free donation) of gelato remaining at the end of the Expo. As in the past, all takings will go to finance the purchase of food produce for the local area’s needy families. At the 2016 edition, slightly under 1,700 tubs of gelato were sold for charity, and almost 10,000 euros collected.
SIGEP will host the presentation of the Gambero Rosso Guide to the best 300 gelato parlours in Italy, scheduled for Monday 23rd in the Tiglio room. After those on coffee bars and confectioners shops, this is the first Gambero Rosso guide that gives votes to gelato parlours. A guide to the best artisan gelato shops, a strict selection of true master gelato makers who use only fresh milk and fruit and have banned surrogates. According to Gambero Rosso’s style, the shops will be judged according to the quality of their gelato. According to its excellence, they’ll have one, two or three cones. The guide will begin with a short vademecum on buying and tasting.
“From cafeterias to gelato parlours: the new formats for successful coffee bars” is the title of the conference organized by FIPE (Italian Federation of Bars and Catering), being held on Monday 23rd at 4:30 pm in the Tiglio Room (Hall A6). Coffee bars are the venues for eating out that have changed the most during the last twenty years. Thanks to the participation of authoritative observers and key players in the sector, the conference is an important opportunity for an insight on the prospects of development for the sector, putting the accent on business models with success potential.
On Monday 23rd, in the Acero Room (Hall A6) at 10:30 am, the Gelatieri per il Gelato association will present the project “sensorial analysis of gelato”, in collaboration with Bologna’s CNR. During the meeting, there will be a description of the program of the first day’s training for the application of scientific parameters of sensorial analysis to artisan gelato tasting (Bologna, 26th January 2017). The cultural and study initiatives scheduled for 2017 by the Gelatieri per il Gelato Cultural Association will also be presented, including: Learning Good Gelato (a food education training project dedicated to primary schoolchildren and proposed by GpG members in their respective zones); collaboration with Rome University on the study of functional ingredients and later analysis of the results to ensure the effectiveness of their use after the preparation; participation in a TV project (with Italian state broadcaster RAI) on good nutrition and the collaboration with an online training start-up.
On Tuesday 24th, there will be a meeting entitled “From gelato parlour to successful enterprise. New projects combining traditional quality and the taste of innovation”. The appointment is in the Tiglio Room (Hall A6) from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. Hosted by professionals from the sector, the conference intends finding the best balance between tradition and innovation, quality and technology, safety and nutrition, using an effective dynamic planning/design method. The advantages of innovative design and planning will be put at the disposal of gelato artisans to pass on modern skills and make their businesses more competitive.