Black Market Gelato

What Black Market Gelato does

Black Market Gelato is a Boise, Idaho-based food and beverage company operating a dual business model: a retail gelateria café and a B2B co-packing manufacturing operation. The retail arm, Black Market Gelateria, is described as Boise's first true European-style gelateria, offering handcrafted gelato, sorbet, açaí bowls, pastries, sandwiches, and Julius Meinl coffee to walk-in consumers at a single storefront in Boise. The manufacturing arm operates a 93,000-square-foot production facility near Boise Airport — recognized as the Pacific Northwest's largest producer of gelato, sorbet, and açaí bases — with stated capacity of up to 80,000 pounds of finished product per day, supplying wholesale distribution to restaurants, hotels, resorts, specialty markets, and grocery stores nationwide, plus contract manufacturing for local and national brands.

The company's core technology is explicitly traditional rather than digital: handcrafted gelato-making using a 1927 Effe machine by Otello Cattabriga (the first machine to use the patented 'Stir and Stick' system), recipes developed from deep European gelateria traditions, and locally and thoughtfully sourced ingredients without artificial flavors, pastes, or compounds. Products include egg-free and gluten-free gelato, and dairy-free, fat-free, vegan sorbet made exclusively from fruit purees. The facility holds SQF certification (GFSI-recognized) for food safety. The company is founder-led by Austrian native Zbynek 'Spin' Mlynarik, with a World Champion Chocolatier on the culinary team.

Go-to-market spans three channels: direct-to-consumer retail at the Boise gelateria, B2B co-packing services for local and national brands (a managed-services-style revenue model covering concept, formulation, testing, trials, and full-scale production), and wholesale distribution across the U.S. Pricing at the gelateria is unit-based and publicly disclosed (gelato scoops, coppas $5.95–$10.95, açaí bowls $9.95–$11.95, pastries $3.50–$6.95, coffee $2.25–$4.45). Co-packing pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held and founder-owned, with no disclosed funding rounds or external institutional investors.

Name

Black Market Gelato

Legal name

Black Market Gelato

Website

https://blackmarketgelato.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Black Market Gelato is a Boise-based food and beverage company operating a retail gelateria café and the Pacific Northwest's largest co-packing manufacturing facility for gelato, sorbet, and açaí bases, serving D2C consumers, national wholesale accounts, and contract manufacturing clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Gelato and Sorbet Manufacturing

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152), Specialty Food Retailers (4452)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Gelato Manufacturing (AFAHAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA)

Keywords

• Artisan gelato manufacturing
• Gelato co-packing services
• Sorbet production
• Açaí base processing
• European-style gelateria

Headquarters

HQ city

North Hollywood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Gelateria Sales: Direct sales of handcrafted gelato, sorbet, açaí bowls, coffee, pastries, and sandwiches to walk-in consumers at the Boise gelateria location. Includes gelato coppas, affine, and specialty treats.
2. Co-packing Manufacturing Services: Full-scale co-packing services for local and national brands producing gelato, sorbet, and açaí bases. Services span from concept and formulation to testing, trials, and full production. Specializes in high-volume açaí base production with consistency, quality, and innovation commitment.
3. Wholesale Distribution: Distribution of Black Market Gelato products to restaurants, hotels, resorts, specialty markets, and grocery stores across the country. Products sold through retail partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Black Market Gelato is a handcrafted gelato, sorbet, and açaí base manufacturer operating the Pacific Northwest's largest production facility in Boise, Idaho. The company sells finished gelato, sorbet, açaí bowls, coffee, and pastries directly to consumers through its European-style gelateria, and offers full-scale B2B co-packing services and wholesale distribution of its products to restaurants, hotels, resorts, specialty markets, and grocery stores nationwide.

Product overview

Black Market Gelato operates a dual business model centered on a gelato and sorbet manufacturing operation and a retail gelateria/cafe. At its core is the Black Market Gelato & Sorbet Manufacturing division, the Pacific Northwest’s largest producer of gelato, sorbet, and açaí bases, with a 93,000-square-foot production facility near Boise Airport capable of up to 80,000 pounds per day. This division supports Black Market Co-Packing Services, offering full-scale co-packing for local and national brands from concept through full production. Running alongside this is the Black Market Gelateria retail sub-brand, Boise’s first true European-style gelateria open to the public, which retails handcrafted gelato and sorbet (under the Gelato & Sorbet product line), açaí bowls, Julius Meinl European coffee beverages, and Gelato Coppas, alongside a food menu of sandwiches and Austrian pastries. All gelato and sorbet products use natural, locally and thoughtfully sourced ingredients, with specific diet-friendly formulations (egg-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan options). The company previously operated in Southern California before relocating to Boise, Idaho in 2020 and opening its current production facility in September 2023.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Black Market Gelato & Sorbet Manufacturing

Quantifiable outcome

• Production capacity of up to 80,000 pounds of finished product per day
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Julius Meinl CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with Julius Meinl Coffee, an iconic European roaster with heritage dating back to 1862. Julius Meinl brings rich aroma and refined flavor, representing Vienna's coffeehouse culture. The partnership provides authentic European coffee offerings at Black Market Gelateria.
• Staple (Boise Bakery)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partnership with Boise's beloved Staple bakery for fresh pastries delivered daily. These handcrafted treats pair perfectly with the coffee offerings and bring a local touch to the European café experience.
• Local RestaurantsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnerships with local Boise restaurants including Gaston Bakery. Part of the local food ecosystem, with Black Market Gelato products featured alongside other local restaurants.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Graeter's Ice Cream: Family-owned artisanal ice cream maker using traditional French-pot batch freezing, with retail scoop shops and national grocery/wholesale distribution. Highly comparable to Black Market Gelato in heritage-driven authenticity narrative, traditional production method, and premium craft positioning.
• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Artisanal ice cream brand with retail scoop shops, national shipping, and wholesale to grocery. Closely comparable to Black Market Gelato's hybrid retail-plus-wholesale model and its premium/clean-label positioning, though Jeni's is significantly larger and operates across multiple U.S. cities.
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: Premium ice cream and vegan ice cream brand with scoop shops, national grocery distribution, and an emphasis on high-quality natural ingredients. Comparable in premium positioning, ingredient-quality narrative, and retail-plus-wholesale channel mix to Black Market Gelato.
• Salt & Straw Ice Cream: Artisanal small-batch ice cream brand with multiple scoop shops, wholesale to grocery, and a strong culinary/storytelling brand identity. Comparable to Black Market Gelato in craft positioning, retail experience, and gourmet-flavor innovation.
• Ciao Bella Gelato: Premium gelato and sorbet brand with national grocery and foodservice distribution, known for chef-driven flavors. Direct product-category competitor to Black Market Gelato, particularly relevant on the wholesale/co-packing side where both compete for retail and foodservice customers.
• Talenti Gelato e Sorbetto: Premium packaged gelato and sorbet brand owned by Unilever, distributed nationally in grocery and mass channels. Directly comparable to Black Market Gelato in product category (gelato/sorbet) and natural/super-premium positioning, and represents the scale benchmark Black Market's co-packing clients compete against on shelf.

Emerging players

• Coolhaus: Premium ice cream and ice cream sandwich brand with grocery distribution, foodservice partnerships, and a co-packing/private-label offering. Comparable to Black Market Gelato in its hybrid retail/wholesale model and B2B co-manufacturing capability, though smaller in scale.
• Sambazon: Leading branded açaí bowl and açaí-based product company with CPG grocery distribution, foodservice supply, and smoothie-shop channel presence. Comparable to Black Market Gelato on the açaí base production specialization, with overlap in foodservice and grocery customers.

Others

• Julius Meinl Coffee: Viennese coffee roaster and coffeehouse operator since 1862 and the named European coffee partner of Black Market Gelato. Included as an ecosystem partner rather than competitor; useful for understanding Black Market's authentic-European brand positioning and European supply chain.

Broad incumbents

• Häagen-Dazs: Iconic global super-premium ice cream and frozen dessert brand owned by Nestlé, with extensive grocery, foodservice, and scoop-shop distribution. Represents the broad incumbent competitive backdrop against which Black Market Gelato's premium positioning must differentiate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BlkMarketGelato

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Black Market Gelato