Gelato making is a safe bet for entrepreneurs

Dubai: The all-year-round sunshine in the UAE and the surrounding region makes it an untapped market for gelato makers, a craft which is said to be a recession-free career choice.

Last week Carpigiani's Gelato University graduated 12 aspiring Italian ice cream entrepreneurs from the first basic gelato making course in its inaugural round of course offerings.

"Based on the success of the first course we will set up a calendar of courses next year, including advanced gelato making," said Cristina Dalla Mora, Marketing Director of Polo Point International. "The interest in gelato making is big here and fortunately for us it's a business that is growing every day due to the public's conscious choice of gelato over ice cream."

For the price of €800 (Dh4,000) students will not only learn how to make the gourmet Italian dessert but, more importantly, what differentiates it from industrial ice cream.

"The main difference is the fat rate; gelato is a very low-fat product as opposed to ice cream that has at least twice as much the fat," said Luciano Ferrari, senior instructor at Carpigiani.

To illustrate his point he added that a medium sized cup of gelato contains approximately 170 calories versus 280 calories for the same amount of regular ice cream. Yet for those in search of a career path or merely looking to change professional direction, Ferrari believes gelato making is a safe bet.

"It is definitely a good career choice for many reasons, the main one being that gelato is proven to be a recession-free product," he said.