Joe Delucci's Gelato

What Joe Delucci's Gelato does

Joe Delucci's Gelato was a UK-based manufacturer and wholesale supplier of Italian-style gelato, founded in 2005 and headquartered in Leamington Spa. The company produced and distributed a range of over 40 gelato flavours, including dietary-specific options such as vegan, sugar-free and dairy-free variants, with authentic Italian provenance tied to production near Lake Como in Italy. Its core business model was B2B wholesale supply to the UK hospitality sector, delivering frozen gelato in case packs (e.g., minimum orders of 8 x 4.5-litre tubs) to "hundreds" of hotels, restaurants, dessert shops and pub groups, including named accounts such as The Shard, The Alchemist, Lovely Pubs Group, Prezzo and Pier View Brighton.

Complementing wholesale, the company operated branded retail parlours at Brent Cross (London) and Brighton Pier and ran a franchising arm, providing a direct-to-consumer channel and brand visibility alongside the B2B supply business. Go-to-market combined traditional foodservice sales with a consumer-facing retail footprint and franchise licensing.

Following a head office relocation in 2023, the business came under sustained pressure from rising wages and National Insurance costs, lower footfall at its Westfield (Brent Cross) parlour, and a wet summer that reduced sales. The Westfield parlour closed in May 2025, the wholesale and franchising operations were sold prior to liquidation, and joint liquidators were appointed on 17 October 2025, with 13 employees recorded at the point of cessation.

Name

Joe Delucci's Gelato

Legal name

Joe Delucci's Limited

Website

https://joedeluccis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Joe Delucci's Gelato was a UK-based wholesale manufacturer of Italian-style gelato founded in 2005, supplying hundreds of hospitality venues including hotels, restaurants and pub groups, alongside branded retail parlours and a franchise arm, prior to ceasing trading in October 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing

NAICS

All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Gelato Manufacturing (AFAHAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA)

Keywords

• Wholesale gelato supply
• Italian ice cream
• Frozen dessert manufacturing
• B2B food service
• Artisanal gelato production

Headquarters

HQ city

Lighthorne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Gelato Sales: B2B wholesale supply of Italian gelato to restaurants, hotels, dessert shops and other food service businesses. Minimum order of 8 x 4.5lt tubs with mix and match flavour options.
2. Retail Parlour Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through company-owned ice cream parlours serving scoops, sundaes, thick shakes, and smoothies at physical retail locations.
3. Franchising: Franchise operations were sold prior to liquidation, indicating a historical franchise business model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Joe Delucci's Gelato is a UK-based wholesale Italian gelato manufacturer that produces authentic gelato at a facility in Lake Como, Italy, supplying restaurants, hotels, dessert shops, and foodservice operators across the UK with bulk gelato in 40+ flavours. The company also operates its own retail parlours in Brent Cross (London) and Brighton Pier selling gelato directly to consumers. The business originated from a third-generation Italian gelato family and emphasises traditional recipes, lower air content (around 35% versus typical 50%), and no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives.

Product overview

Joe Delucci's Gelato is a wholesale Italian gelato supplier operating since 2005, offering bulk gelato and ice cream products to businesses across the UK. The core offering is Wholesale Gelato sourced directly from Italy, complemented by over 40 flavours of gelato and sorbets. The product portfolio includes specialized modules for Hotels & Restaurant Groups, Dessert Shops, and Vegan Ice Cream customers, along with Bulk Ice Cream options and Wholesale Dessert Supplies (including brownies and macarons). The company also operates two retail parlour locations in London (Brent Cross) and Brighton (Brighton Pier). All products are characterized by no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives, with options for vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free diets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• The Shard achieved in excess of 200% better revenue than forecast using JD's retail carts

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Boom MacaroonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoe Delucci's partnered with Boom Macaroon to supply brownies and macarons alongside their gelato products, providing a complete dessert offering for dessert shops and expanding product range beyond gelato.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Northern Bloc: UK wholesale ice cream/gelato producer supplying foodservice and retail with traditional and plant-based ranges. Same category, comparable customer base (restaurants, hotels, dessert shops).
• Brynmoor Ice Cream: UK-based ice cream and sorbet manufacturer supplying wholesale to foodservice, hotels and restaurants — comparable B2B wholesale gelato/ice cream model.
• La Gelatiera: UK artisan gelato producer supplying wholesale to restaurants and operating retail gelato parlours in London — highly comparable product and distribution model.
• Jude's Ice Cream: UK-based premium ice cream brand producing traditional and dairy-free ranges, with wholesale supply to UK hospitality and own-brand retail — directly comparable in category, geography, and B2B focus.
• Booja-Booja: UK organic, dairy-free and vegan frozen dessert maker selling through specialist retail and foodservice. Comparable in premium positioning and dietary-inclusivity range.
• Oppo Brothers: UK premium ice cream brand positioned on indulgence-with-better-for-you credentials; competing in the same premium UK retail and foodservice aisles.

Broad incumbents

• Carte d'Or (Unilever): Mass-market ice cream brand from Unilever sold through foodservice and grocery; competes in the same UK restaurant dessert menus and broadens the "ice cream" competitive set for JD's customers.
• Magnum (Unilever): Major global ice cream brand (Unilever) present across UK foodservice dessert menus; represents the broader incumbent competition that any successor wholesale gelato operator must contend with.
• Häagen-Dazs: Global premium ice cream brand (Nestlé) widely listed on UK restaurant and hotel dessert menus; competes for the same "premium dessert" menu position Joe Delucci's targeted.

Regional players

• Franki's Gelato: UK-based gelato brand with parlour and wholesale supply. Comparable artisanal product offering though with a smaller/wholesale footprint.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/joedeluccis
• Facebookfacebook.com/joedeluccis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joe-delucci's-limited/?originalSubdomain=uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/joedeluccisltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Joe Delucci's Gelato