Ice cream pioneers mark centenary by driving exports
Morelli's Ice Cream in Northern Ireland is marking its centenary by driving sales in the Republic of Ireland. The company, a specialist in Italian ice cream, aims to expand direct sales there and has invested in a fleet of refrigerated vans.
The company has set up a distributor in Dublin and is seeking expansion in foodservice and retail. It has a number of foodservice accounts in the Dublin area as well as retail outlets in border counties of the Republic especially Donegal.
Five new flavours have also been developed by the company, which is based in Coleraine, County Londonderry, for its existing 50-strong portfolio. The new flavours are 'Very Berry Cheesecake', 'Creamy Egg', 'Dime Bar Crunch',' Eton Mess' (Meringue and Strawberry),'Luxury Double Chocolate' and 'P'arm Violet'. All the flavours are sourced from traditional Italian suppliers.
The Morelli family came to Ireland from Italy in 1911 and has been at the centre of the ice cream industry since then, earning widespread recognition and local customers, particularly for unique ice cream sundaes which are sold through ice cream parlours and cafes.
As a result, the Morelli family has become synonymous with high quality scoop ice cream. The company, still family owned and managed, now supplies retailers including Tesco, Mace and Costcutters, with a range of ice cream packs.
Arnaldo Morelli, a director of Morelli's, says: "We are keen to boost sales of our retail packs in particular outside Northern Ireland and have pinpointed a number of significant opportunities in the Republic.
"Our business in foodservice, especially in the Dublin area from a distribution deal there, has been growing steadily over the past few years. We now intend to focus attention on developing retail sales, building on the customer base that we've established in Donegal.
"The investment in refrigerated vans is designed to enable us to reach retailers in other parts of the Republic with our extensive and unique range of genuine Italian ice creams.
"A number of events being planned to mark our centenary over the next few months will also help to raise our profile and increase market awareness.
"Among the events being planned is an attempt to break the current Guinness World Record for the longest chain of people eating ice cream. The current record was set in the US in 2010 and stands at 2,600. Our aim is to set up a chain of more than 3,000 people in Portstewart, County Derry on 23 July.
"Other events include a gala dinner, a laser show and a photographic exhibition charting the company's extraordinary history and the personalities within the family who played such a tremendous role in the ice cream industry in Ireland,"
Pic Caption:Morelli generations - Pictured L-R are Guido, Nini and Carrado Morelli with the latest members of the family - Nirucha Morelli and Cadia Whyte.