PRESS RELEASE
Comunicato n. 2 del 22/12/2025 ( download download )
· From Friday 16 to Tuesday 20 January 2026, at Rimini Expo Centre, SIGEP World will focus on the evolution of gelato from an artisanal product to a strategic lever for global foodservice. Highlights include the Gelato Meets Chains projects and the international campaign “What is Gelato?”
· Italian artisanal gelato continues to show strong economic performance, with a turnover of nearly €3 billion, rising consumption and a supply chain heavily focused on exports.
· From the international Gelato World Cup to national competitions and contests for students, SIGEP World 2026 reinforces gelato as a symbol of excellence, culture and professional opportunity.
sigep.it
Rimini, 22 December 2025 — Italian gelato remains a driving force in international business, growing beyond seasonal fluctuations and seizing new opportunities in global markets. From 16 to 20 January 2026 at Rimini Expo Centre, SIGEP World – The World Expo for Foodservice Excellence, a B2B event curated by Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), will shine a spotlight on this pillar of Italian foodservice, alongside pastry, chocolate, coffee, bakery and pizza.
A CHANGING ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE
In 2024, the turnover of artisan gelato in Italy reached nearly €3 billion, growing 0.5–1% compared to the previous year, confirming Italy as a leading European market. The outlook for 2025 is equally positive: the SIGEP Observatory reports summer consumption of artisan gelato increased by approximately 3% compared to summer 2024, which accounts for over 70% of annual turnover.
Across Europe, the industry includes over 65,000 outlets and approximately 300,000 employees (UIF – Italian Food Union, Gelato Products Group). Italy alone is home to around 39,000 businesses, including ice cream shops, bakeries and bars. According to ACOMAG (National Association of Manufacturers of Ice Cream Machines, Furnishings and Equipment), the entire supply chain — ingredients, machinery, display cases and equipment — generated over €4 billion in revenue in 2024, with exports playing a major role. Ingredients account for 67% of turnover abroad, while machinery and technology sales exceed 70% internationally.
Gelato 2026: from product to business model
Within this landscape of growth and transformation, SIGEP World 2026 introduces innovations designed to strengthen dialogue with global foodservice operators.
Gelato Meets Chains is a strategic project targeting international restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and bakery chains. It provides guidelines, insights and operational tools to integrate Italian gelato into global menus, helping businesses add value, differentiate offerings and increase profitability. The project includes webinars, business meetings and matchmaking opportunities between companies and international buyers.
The initiative is complemented by the international campaign “What is Gelato?”, created to showcase the identity of Italian-made gelato to a global audience of investors and decision-makers. Launched with a Madrid roadshow and the “Gelato Means Business” webinar, the campaign culminates at SIGEP World, transforming the fair into a cultural and strategic platform for gelato’s international positioning.
COMPETITIONS: EXCELLENCE, TRAINING AND GLOBAL VISIBILITY
SIGEP World 2026 highlights the importance of major competitions in promoting innovation, excellence and professional development.
The Gelato World Cup, now in its 11th edition, is the world’s most prestigious international team competition for professionals in gelato, pastry, cooking and chocolate. Twelve teams — each comprising a gelato maker, pastry chef, chef and team manager — will compete in the Gelato Arena (Hall A7) across nine highly technical and creative challenges for the title of World Champions.
Competing nations include Argentina, Belgium, China, Ecuador, France, Japan, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Peru and Singapore. Teams earned their places through official selection stages, including the Gelato Europe Cup at SIGEP World 2025, SIGEP China 2025, and qualifying events in South America and Singapore. National competitions include SIGEP Gelato d’Oro, which selects Italy’s top professionals for future European contests, and the Italian final of Gelato Festival World Masters, which brings leading gelato makers together to compete for the world final.
Training the next generation is also a priority, with the Gelato Competition for Hospitality Institutes, dedicated to students from vocational schools and designed to introduce young people to artisanal gelato as a career opportunity.
A network of leading companies in the gelato supply chain supports the Gelato Arena programme at SIGEP World 2026:
Platinum Sponsors: Anselmi, Babbi, Electrolux Professional, Valrhona; Golden Sponsors: Adamance, Carpigiani; Silver Sponsors: Agrimontana, Frascheri, Medac, Sosa; Technical Sponsors: Ico.cialde, IFI, Norohy, Paperlynen, Pomati Group, Reire, Sara Creazioni; Mystery Sponsor: Adamance; Media Partners: Pasticceria Internazionale, Punto IT.
PRESS CONTACT ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP | media@iegexpo.it
head of corporate communication & media relation: Elisabetta Vitali|
press office manager: Marco Forcellini, Pier Francesco Bellini | international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi | press office coordinator: Luca Paganin | press office specialist: Nicoletta Evangelisti, Mirko Malgieri
MEDIA AGENCY SIGEP World: Mind The Pop
Martina Vacca: martina@mindthepop.it, mob. +39 339 748 5994; Fabrizio Raimondi: fabrizio@mindthepop.it, mob. +39 335 389 848; Benedetto Colli: benedetto@mindthepop.it, mob. 380 371 2272; Stefano Chiossi: stefano@mindthepop.it, mob. + 39 388 739 4358.
This press release contains forecast elements and estimates that reflect the management´s current opinions (´forward-looking statements´), particularly regarding future management performance, realization of investments, cash flow trends and the evolution of the financial structure. For their very nature, forward-looking statements have a component of risk and uncertainty, as they depend on the occurrence of future events. The effective results may differ (even significantly) from those announced, due to numerous factors, including, only by way of example: food service market and tourist flow trends in Italy, gold and jewellery market trends, green economy market trends; the evolution of raw material prices; general macroeconomic conditions; geopolitical factors and evolutions in the legislative framework. Moreover, the information contained in this release, does not claim to be complete, and has not been verified by independent third parties. Forecasts, estimates and objectives contained herein are based on the information available to the Company as at the date of this release.