PUNTOITALY N°1 -January - June 2012

8 TARGETED STRATEGY In order to carry artisan gelato beyond the borders of Italy, it is essential to carry out a careful marketing analysis for each of the different markets. This is explained by Vittorio Bartyan, the President of Acomag, the National Association of Gelato Machine, Shop Fittings and Equipment Manufacturers. Interview Artisan gelato is a worldwide symbol of the made-in-Italy brand. In your opinion, what are the major obstacles to be overcome in order to encourage the spread of our products abroad? You’d need to write a book to answer this question! Let’s just say that electric tensions, frequencies and sockets vary in the different parts of the world, and this is already creates a first, huge technical challenge. Then there is the fact that the laws and regulations gov- erning the methods of gelato production are not consistent. Italian artisan gelato is very different from American-style ice cream. What initiatives should be taken to help the spread of our gelato throughout the world? Just to start with, I’d simply say that gelato and ice cream are quite different products. Artisan gelato is distinctive for its low fat content and a higher presence of sugars. There is also an unforced increase in volume, hence little overrun. Industrially produced ice cream is exactly the opposite: low sugar content, high fat content, high increase in volume. So what has to be done? First of all we must define what artisan gelato is, what it contains, and how it is made. Secondly it is necessary to introduce a law regulating its production, or a national trademark, laying down how that trade- mark should be applied or governing its use. It is then