Gelato Fiasco Launches in Australia

BRUNSWICK, Maine — For Australians, Maine is quickly becoming synonymous with great gelato.

Gelato Fiasco co-founders Joshua Davis and Bruno Tropeano have returned from Melbourne, Australia, where they launched Gelato Fiasco flavors in some 650 Seven-11 stores in the country. They also participated in the opening of the Gelato Fiasco Log Cabin, a pop-up shop in Melbourne built to promote and celebrate Gelato Fiasco’s arrival Down Under.

Gelato Fiasco - Tim Grey

Davis and Tropeano partnered with Australian producer Peters Ice Cream to bring Gelato Fiasco to the continent, in alignment with their vision to bring their Maine brand to neighborhoods in the United States and around the world. Davis and Tropeano worked with Peters to develop four flavors that reflect Gelato Fiasco’s quality standards and Maine heritage. These flavors are being produced and marketed in Australia.

Pints began rolling out in some 650 stores in Australia in recent months. A pop-up shop, branded as the Gelato Fiasco Log Cabin, opened in Fitzroy, a neighborhood in Melbourne. The Log Cabin is styled with Maine imagery, including stacked log interiors, a wood stove, flannel uniforms, and birch trees. The launch of an ice cream shop stands out in the neighborhood, where it’s currently wintertime (albeit at a balmy 50-60 degrees). The pop-up shop is scheduled to remain open until late September.

The launch has created significant buzz in press and online, where Australian reactions can be found in Instagram by searching for the hashtag #gelatofiasco.

The partnership represents Gelato Fiasco’s only current international licensing arrangement. The company, which is one of the largest independently owned gelato and premium ice cream producers in the United States, is currently completing a 10,000-square-foot renovation at its Flavor Foundry in Brunswick to support expanded domestic sales at more than 4,000 grocery stores. All pints sold in the United States are made in Brunswick.

Gelato Fiasco was founded in 2007 in downtown Brunswick.