"Why don’t you start an ice cream parlour in Kerala?” said Vivek Venugopal from Kerala. He was talking to Sara Calderoni and her husband Giancario Segalini, who own Milano Ice Creams. “We have never tasted such delicious ice creams before,” said Vivek’s friend, Dilip Thomas. Vivek, Dilip, Devaraj Chandrakattu, and their friend George Thomas had gone on a business trip to Italy.
Sara used to come to Kerala a few times every year to buy coir and jute from Cherthala. “So Kerala is very close to me,” she says. “We decided to start an ice cream parlour after studying the market. Kerala is a fast-growing economy and many youngsters like different food items, like Italian pista and Chinese food.”
The Milano ice cream has a number of distinctive qualities. “It is home made and fresh,” says Giancario Segalini, co-director and chef. “It is hundred per cent organic, vegetarian and fat-free.”
The ice cream-producing unit and display console have been imported from Italy. “The raw materials, and certain ingredients will be purchased from reliable vendors in Kochi,” he says.
Master chef Maurizio from Italy has arrived to provide the actual taste. “There will be 24 flavors,” says Maurizio. They include flappe (milkshake), affogato al caffe (vanilla gelato with espresso and whip cream), and spagnola (vanilla gelaro with amarena cherry and whip cream). Ice cream with fruit flavours, like mango, pineapple, strawberry, lemon, banana, papaya and coconut, are also available.
It is a milk-based ice cream, and includes vanilla, curd, Italian cream, chocolate, nutellae (chocolate and nuts), coffee, chocolate crunch, nuts, cherry, pista and raisins. “It is different from other ice-creams,” says Wilfred Mathew, a customer. “We get a real taste of the fruits.” Adds Rinish Devasia, “It is so soft and natural that I want to eat more.” Says Venusia Rinish, “It is amazing to taste Kerala fruits in the form of ice creams.”
The cost is reasonable. A 100gms, with two flavours, costs `50, 150gms, with three flavours, goes for `80, 200gms with 3 flavours is `100, half a kg ice cream is `250 and one kg costs `500.