European Artisanal Gelato Day, devised by Longarone Fiere and Artglace, is dedicated, exclusively by the European Parliament, to a foodstuff which is recognised as being a valuable asset for the whole supply chain.
Gelato unites Europe and the figures prove it: sales will reach 9 billion euros in 2021, amounting to 60% of the world market, with a growth of 30% compared to 2020, employing 300,000 staff. Artisanal gelato parlours are increasing in number not only in Italy (around 39,000 outlets), but also in the rest of Europe. In Germany alone, some 9,000 gelato parlours (including 3,300 selling only gelato and more than 4,500 owned by Italians) employ more than 20,000 people, half of whom are of Italian origin. Not to be outdone are Spain (2,200 parlours), Poland (2,000) and the UK (1,100), followed by Austria (900), Greece (680) and France (450).
Not only that: whereas the season used to go from March to October, today things have changed. You can enjoy an excellent hand-crafted gelato for 10 months out of 12 and by February staff have been hired for the whole season. It’s a wonder food not only for the palate but also for the economy.