When we opened our pop-up gelateria at Bayfair Shopping Centre in April, we didn’t know quite what to expect. Tauranga was heading into autumn, the days were getting shorter, and we were two Italians setting up an artisan gelato cart in a shopping mall — quietly confident, and quietly nervous in equal measure.
April was good. People stopped, tried the gelato, and kept coming back. It gave us confidence that Tauranga was ready for something genuinely different — real Italian gelato made from scratch, no shortcuts, no powder mixes, just natural ingredients and recipes we believe in.
Then May arrived, and so did the challenges.
Our cart broke down. Between repairs, events and the general chaos of running a young business, we found ourselves serving from a more ad hoc setup — a gelato display rather than the full cart experience we’d envisioned. It wasn’t glamorous, but we showed up every day, kept the gelato cold and the smiles warm, and got through it.
By June we were back on our feet — and we made a decision that would change everything about our winter.
We launched our Italian Hot Chocolate.
Made with the same care and quality as our gelato, it’s rich, thick and nothing like the powder sachets you’ll find elsewhere. And when paired with a scoop of our artisan gelato — dark chocolate, hazelnut, whatever calls to you that day — something magical happens. It became our winter combination, and honestly, it’s been driving more interest than we expected.
Here’s what we’ve learned: people who try real gelato don’t stop eating it in winter. The cold outside doesn’t seem to matter when what’s in front of you is genuinely good. Our customers keep coming back — not despite the season, but regardless of it.
The mornings are still quiet. We won’t pretend otherwise. But we fill them with energy — big smiles, great music, and the kind of warmth you’d expect from a team that’s part Italian, part South American, and entirely passionate about what they do. Our crew brings a flair to every shift that you can’t fake and can’t manufacture.
We’re at Bayfair every day. Come and find us — try the gelato, try the hot chocolate, or try them together. We’ll be the ones with the smiles.
Federico
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