Conti’s Traditional Ice Cream

Producer: Conti’s Traditional Ice Cream, Ceredigion
Product: Conti’s Traditional Ice Cream
Region: Wales
Category: From the Dairy (Artisan)

What they do
Hailing from Bardi in the northern Italian hills above Parma, Artillio Conti arrived in Wales aged just 13 in the 1930s and went on to open 17 cafés across Wales with his two brothers. Today, one of these cafés remains in Lampeter and is run by fourth-generation Conti, Jo.

anniversary last year. Artillio’s son Leno, who served the ice cream for many years, claimed its success lay in the use of local ingredients. Today Jo’s son Tom is chief ice-cream maker and it still relies on local producers. Conti’s salted caramel ice cream is made using Calon Wen organic milk, cream and butter, Halen Môn sea salt and organic raw cane sugar. There are 16 other flavours in the Conti’s range, including their traditional vanilla ice cream (which won a delicious. Produce Award in 2016) and seven sorbets, all created using quality, local ingredients.
Jo hopes to revive the fortunes of the family business and the team has recently restored the original Conti’s café to its former glory, as well as opening another outlet in the National Trust’s Llanerchaeron Estate. Conti’s packaging features information in Welsh and English, and the family has invested in a vintage trike to deliver Conti’s ice cream to local weddings and events in the area.

What the judges said
Conti’s attention to seasonality and local produce impressed the judges. According to the panel, the teashop “is an asset to the town” and the family’s interest in recycling and minimising food waste is commendable.

Visit the website:  contisicecream.com