It's Awards Season at
Gelato Gelato
Measuring Ourselves Against the Best
At Gelato Gelato, we first started entering the Dairy Industry Association of Australia (DIAA) Awards and Australian Food Awards as a way to measure our products against other gelato makers. Each time we entered, we were thrilled to bring home medals — Gold, Silver, and Bronze. But after a while, we asked ourselves: what do these awards really mean?
We realised that while medals are wonderful, they often reflect a scoring band — a bit like getting an A or B at school. The truly coveted awards are the big ones: Best in Class, Best Gelato in Australia, Champion Australian Dairy Producer, and Champion Dairy Producer Victoria. These awards mean that, among all entrants, our gelato was judged the very best.
What Sets Our Gelato Apart
Other manufacturers win medals too, but our gelato is different. We make every batch by hand, using small-scale, artisan methods, fresh seasonal fruit, and nothing artificial. We even make all of our inclusions in-house — from sauces to pralines to cookies.
Other competitors may be other small producers or industrial manufacturers and use commercially prepared flavourings or mass-produced inclusions, but our approach is about quality over quantity. Awards don’t always show that difference, but our loyal customers taste it with every scoop.
So, What Do Awards Mean to US
Over the years, we’ve entered fewer products for judging. Why? Because we already know our gelato is consistently award-winning. We source our milk and cream from the amazing team at Inglenook Dairy near Ballarat, we use fresh fruit when it is in season, and we make all our sauces and cookies. Our product is consistent and that quality shows up in every batch.
Instead of entering 10 flavours just to rack up medals, we focus on the flavours that have been the biggest hits in the last 12 months. We have a staples but we also make a suite of new flavours every year, because we love to have fun. Jo (my business partner), Georgia (our gelato chef), and I sit down each year and choose just three standout flavours that represent our best work.
This Year’s Standout: Apple Pie Gelato
One of this year’s highlights is our Apple Pie Gelato — a flavour we’ve made before, but this time we took it to the next level. We:
- Caramelised fresh apples and pureed half while leaving small chunks for texture.
- Baked a buttery crumble and layered it with our creamy Fior di Latte base.
- Created a stunning variegato by folding through the apple puree, apple pieces, and crumble.
The result? Pure perfection — and not just in our eyes! Customers have raved about it, and the judges awarded it a gold medal with an incredible score of 19.7/20
Will It Win the Big One?
Our big question now: will Apple Pie Gelato take home Best in Class or even Best Gelato in Australia? Has a gelato ever scored closer to a perfect 20/20? We’ll find out on October 2nd — and we can’t wait to share the results with you.
In the meantime, come into our Lorne, Anglesea, or Geelong stores and taste this award-winning flavour for yourself. Let us know what you think — you might just be tasting the next Champion Gelato in Victoria!
