World's Best Gelato

Sweet Austin shop competes for title of world's best gelato

You can sample Dolce Neve's gelato before the team heads to Italy.

Photo courtesy of Dolce Neve

Each year, over 40 of the finest gelato makers from across the globe head to Palermo, Italy, to participate in Sherbeth, the International Festival of Artisanal Gelato. The annual festival is a four-day celebration of gelato that features tastings, concerts, open-air workshops, and a competition to crown the best gelato in the world.

For the second year, the folks from Austin's Dolce Neve, one of only two representatives from the U.S., are heading overseas to compete in the event September 29 to October 2. But first, they need your help deciding which flavor they will present to the festival’s technical jury.

From September 9-16, any purchase at Dolce Neve comes with a complimentary Sherbeth Gelato Trio, with one mini scoop of each of the finalists: mascarpone, polenta cake, and orange liqueur; brown butter and pecan crumble; and mascarpone with cacao nibs infusion. Guests will cast their vote for their favorite flavor, and the most popular will represent Dolce Neve in the festival.

We had a chance to try the final flavors and had a hard time picking a favorite. We enjoyed the texture contrast of the polenta cake with the creamy, boozy ice cream; the rich brown butter taste with the crunch of fresh pecans; and the subtle chocolate notes of the cacao nibs infusing the tangy mascarpone cream.

Dolce Neve is a family-owned shop from brother and sister Marco and Francesca Silvestrini and Francesca’s fiancé, Leopoldo Ferrarese, which opened in January 2014. Their focus is on creating both traditional flavors (a fabulous organic pistachio and classics like stracciatella) and innovative flavors such as the ones mentioned above, using traditional Italian techniques and ingredients from local Texas farmers whenever possible.

After the trip to Italy, the Dolce Neve team will continue work on their Houston outlet, which should open in early 2017.

ice-cream

Beverage news

Austin-based Poppi acquired by behemoth soda brand for $2 billion

Facebook/Poppi

undefined

PepsiCo is acquiring the Austin-based prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.95 billion.

The acquisition, announced Monday, March 17, gives PepsiCo a fast-growing brand in the popular functional beverage category.

“More than ever, consumers are looking for convenient and great-tasting options that fit their lifestyles and respond to their growing interest in health and wellness,” PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said in a statement.

PepsiCo said the transaction includes $300 million of anticipated cash benefits, bringing the net purchase price to $1.65 billion.

Allison Ellsworth, the Austin co-founder of Poppi, said the combination with PepsiCo will expand Poppi’s reach.

“We can’t wait to begin this next chapter with PepsiCo to bring our soda to more people — and I know they will honor what makes Poppi so special while supporting our next phase of growth and innovation,” Ellsworth said in a statement.

Ellsworth developed Poppi — then known as Mother Beverage — in her kitchen in 2015 because she loved soda but was tired of the way it made her feel. She mixed fruit juices with apple cider vinegar, sparkling water and prebiotics, and sold the drink at farmer's markets.

The brand took off in 2018 when Ellsworth and her husband pitched it on Shark Tank. An investor on the show, Rohan Oza, took a stake in Mother Beverage and undertook a major rebrand. Poppi, with its brightly-colored, fruit-forward cans, was born.

“We’re beyond thrilled to be partnering with PepsiCo so that even more consumers across America, and the world, can enjoy Poppi,” said Oza, the co-founder CAVU Consumer Partners, which has also invested in beverage brands like Oatly and Bai.

But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Poppi. Last summer, multiple class-action lawsuits were filed against the brand by consumers who said its products don’t improve gut health as much as their marketing suggests.

Poppi denied those claims, and noted that it removed references to “gut health” from its packaging in late 2023. But according to a court filing last week, Poppi has agreed to a settlement that includes an $8.9 million fund for payments to consumers. A hearing on the settlement is scheduled for May 8.

PepsiCo shares rose nearly 2 percent in morning trading Monday.

drinks business