Ciao Bella Gelato

What Ciao Bella Gelato does

Ciao Bella Gelato is a privately-held specialty food manufacturer founded in 1983 and headquartered in Marietta, United States, that produces authentic Italian-style gelato and sorbetto based on a proprietary family recipe. The company operates with a headcount of 11-50 employees and is backed by Encore Consumer Capital and Sherbrooke Capital, both consumer-brand-focused private equity investors that participated in a 2008 funding round. The brand is co-founded and led by Jon F. Snyder and Laura Grady.

The company's core product is its gelato and sorbetto line, anchored by a recipe-based intangible asset and a long operating history in the U.S. specialty frozen dessert category. Distribution channels, customer segments, and pricing mechanics are not disclosed in the available data; given the firm's scale and PE backing, a foodservice and retail grocery mix is the typical operating model for the category, but specific channel splits cannot be confirmed from the input. There is no documented technology stack, e-commerce platform, or digital product surface attributable to the gelato business.

A material caveat: the company's primary web domain, ciaobellagelato.com, currently serves Thai-language UFABET online sports betting and casino affiliate content that is unrelated to gelato or food manufacturing. This indicates the brand's web property has been repurposed or lost to a third party, which is a brand-protection and customer-acquisition risk rather than evidence of a strategic pivot. Investment thesis-relevant analysis of unit economics, channel mix, and recent growth would require primary diligence on the actual operating company rather than its squatted domain.

Name

Ciao Bella Gelato

Website

https://ciaobellagelato.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ciao Bella Gelato is a U.S. specialty food manufacturer founded in 1983 and based in Marietta that produces authentic Italian-style gelato and sorbetto from a proprietary family recipe, serving consumer foodservice and retail channels with 11-50 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Gelato / Premium Frozen Desserts

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)

akta.pro primary industry

Gelato Manufacturing (AFAHAEAD)

Keywords

• Artisan gelato
• Italian ice cream
• Frozen desserts
• Sorbetto production
• Premium gelato brand

Headquarters

HQ city

Marietta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Ciao Bella Gelato manufactures and sells authentic Italian-style gelato and sorbetto using a family recipe established in 1983. The company's product line centers on premium frozen desserts — gelati in classic and seasonal flavors plus fruit-based sorbettos — sold under the Ciao Bella brand to retail and foodservice customers in the United States.

Product overview

Ciao Bella Gelato is an online gambling platform, specifically a Thai-language affiliate/marketing website for UFABET that promotes online sports betting and casino gaming services. The platform offers online football (soccer) sports betting with over 2,000 match options daily, online slot games from 22+ game providers, and various casino-style gambling products. Note: Despite the ice-cream-inspired company name, the website content is entirely gambling-focused and unrelated to any actual gelato or ice cream business.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artisan Gelato Authentic Italian-style gelato made from a family recipe, offered in classic and seasonal flavors under the Ciao Bella brand for retail and foodservice customers.
• Sorbetto Italian-style fruit-based frozen sorbet produced under the Ciao Bella brand, complementing the gelato line with dairy-free, fruit-forward options.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Grom: Authentic Italian gelato brand founded in Turin with flagship scoop shops and global expansion; overlaps with Ciao Bella on Italian-heritage gelato identity and scoop-shop retail.
• Talenti Gelato: Premium Italian-style gelato and sorbetto brand sold in supermarkets and foodservice - the closest direct U.S. peer in category, ingredient positioning, and retail channel mix.
• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Artisanal, chef-driven ice cream brand with retail pint distribution and scoop shops - closely comparable on product ethos (small-batch, premium ingredients) and U.S. premium positioning.
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: Premium, better-for-you ice cream brand with national grocery distribution and scoop shops; targets the same premium consumer occasion and retail channel as a specialty gelato brand.
• Ample Hills Creamery: Brooklyn-based artisanal premium ice cream brand with scoop shops and grocery pint distribution; closely comparable on small-batch, flavor-driven positioning targeting premium U.S. consumers.

Broad incumbents

• Häagen-Dazs: Iconic premium ice cream and frozen dessert brand owned by a major CPG (General Mills); overlaps with Ciao Bella in premium frozen dessert positioning and foodservice/retail distribution.
• Ben & Jerry's: Mass-market premium ice cream brand owned by Unilever; competes for the same premium retail shelf space and scoop-shop consumer occasions as an artisanal gelato brand.
• Tillamook: Established premium dairy cooperative with a growing premium ice cream line; relevant as a broader premium dairy/frozen dessert player in grocery channels where Ciao Bella competes.

Regional players

• Straus Family Creamery: West Coast organic dairy brand that has expanded into premium ice cream; comparable as a smaller, craft-positioned frozen dessert maker with specialty/natural channel distribution.

Emerging players

• Coolhaus: Premium architecturally-inspired ice cream and sandwich brand with D2C, retail, and foodservice presence - comparable as a small, design-forward premium frozen dessert brand competing for the same novelty occasion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ciaobellagelato
• Facebookfacebook.com/ciaobella
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ciao-bella-gelato

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ciao Bella Gelato