PUNTOITALY N°2 - July - December 2012

8 STRATEGIC SYNERGIES Interview What does AIIPA do to support its members at interna- tional level? AIIPA - Gruppo Prodotti per Gelato is an integral part of the artisan gelato production chain, and it counts all the most im- portant companies in the sector among its members. These are companies that invest in quality, food safety and research, as well as in the development of markets throughout the world. AIIPA’s aim is to bring these entrepreneurs together and so constitute a greater force than each can have on its own, for example in terms of contacts with public authori- ties. AIIPA also monitors the different markets to make sure that laws are made that protect the ownership of gelato. The latest case relates to the request made by a gelato shop in the State of California for a regulation of Italian gelato. Without the intervention of AIIPA we would today risk having Italian gelato dictated by an American law. What has been the initial response to AIIPA’s new web- site www.italiangelato.info? The website aims to be a point of reference for professionals wishing to open a gelato shop in any part of the world, and for those who are already in business and wish to improve their technical know-how. In the first four months of the year we witnessed a monthly growth of 150%, both for single users and for pages visited, with a constant increase in the length of time that visitors Fabrizio Osti, the newly elected President of AIIPA - Gruppo Prodotti per Gelato [Gelato Products Group] outlines the present and the future of the sector in an international perspective. spent consulting the various sections. Areas of the website that attracted particular attention were the pages about draw- ing up a business plan, about the relevant laws and regula- tions, and about how to assess the local context and the kinds of consumers that gravitate around the place where the as- piring entrepreneur hopes to open a gelato shop. In the com- ing months we will add even more specific information and will aim to equal the success of the Italian website, which has a monthly average of 82,000 pages visited. Are there other initiatives planned? We plan to launch an information campaign on the subject of gelato ingredients in the specialist magazines for the sector. We believe that correct and transparent information on the