Ice cream, the supply chain in Italy is worth 4.9 billion
Industry players present their novelties at the Sigep in Rimini. Italy is also a leader for machinery that exports worldwide
The artisanal ice cream market closes 2025 with an overall sales growth of 8.5% worldwide to EUR 16.5 billion and confirms itself as a dynamic and constantly evolving sector.
The expansion of the non-EU markets, which record growth rates of 10%, is the main driver of this result. In Europe, the trend remains positive, with United Kingdom and Spain among the most dynamic countries, while Italy consolidates its leadership, confirming itself as the first world market and a successful supply chain model for the artisan ice cream sector. Overall, the Italian supply chain - which iincludes ingredients, machinery, display cases and equipment - reaches an estimated value of EUR 4.9 billion and employs over 120 thousand people.
The market in Italy
In Italy, the turnover of the ice cream sector exceeds EUR 3.1 billion, an increase of 3.5% compared to 2024, including ancillary products. Volumes grew over the same period by 0.5%. Ice cream parlours with a strong tourist vocation benefit significantly from the flow of foreign visitors, with particular emphasis in Central and Southern Italy. Per capita consumption remains constant at around 2 kg per year, with an average expenditure of EUR 48 per person. The total number of ice cream parlours, pastry shops, bars and restaurants offering homemade ice cream exceeds 39 thousand, remaining substantially stable compared to recent years.
These numbers are at the heart of Sigep World 2026. Key trends that emerged at the show include strategic integration into restaurant chains, innovation in raw materials and the exploration of bold flavours, as well as a strong focus on technology, sustainability and establishing ice cream as a global business lever.
Integration with other departments
On this front, ice cream is in fact being integrated into the menus of hotels, cafeterias, bakeries and restaurants, with projects such as Gelato Meets Chains designed for large international chains, and accompanied by the "What is Gelato?" campaign created to tell the identity of Made in Italy ice cream to an audience of global investors and decision makers. Technological progress is also growing, with solutions from liquid ingredient technology to efficient freezing systems.
Then there is the collaboration with made-in-Italy agro-foods: at last year's Sigep, the launch of a collaboration project between Filiera Italia, Signed by Italian Farmers and Città del Gelato was presented, to promote a transparent, certified and tellable supply chain. In 2025, the first gelato base made with 100% Italian ingredients was created and marketed, thanks to the collaboration between the companies belonging to Filiera Italia, which was then declined into 20 flavours belonging to the Eccellenze Contadine line and launched in gelato shops with the brand Signato Dagli Agricoltori Italiani. More than 110,000 kg of raw materials from Italian farms were transformed into 85 million cones of real Italian artisan ice cream that consumers were able to enjoy. "This is an important result because it unites farmers, industry and ice-cream parlours in a common project of valorisation of an iconic product of Italian cuisine," said Luigi Scordamaglia, CEO of Filiera Italia, at the presentation of the project in the presence of Minister Francesco Lollobrigida
