Two days of competition and 74 participants from 13 European countries decided who would represent Europe at the World Final of Gelato Festival World Masters. On October 30 and 31, the Carpigiani Gelato University headquarters in Anzola Emilia hosted the European Finals of the five-year championship, which is organised in collaboration with Carpigiani and Sigep by Italian Exhibition Group.

The World Final was set for 2026, with dates to be announced at the 47th Sigep World in Rimini (January 16 to 21, 2026).

The jury

An international technical jury judged technical preparation, flavour and presentation:

• Cinzia Otri, gelato master and owner of Gelateria della Passera, Florence
• Marco Venturino, gelato master in the Gelato Festival World Ranking Hall of Fame and owner of I Giardini di Marzo, Varazze (SV)
• Eugenio Morrone, gelato master, Hall of Fame member and part of Team Italy, winner of the Gelato World Cup 2020
• Ciro Chiummo, pastry chef and Team Italy member, winner of the Gelato World Cup 2020
• Marco De Vivo, owner of Pasticceria De Vivo, Pompei (NA)
• Vincenzo Pennestrì, President of the Associazione Gelatieri Italiani

The 17 European finalists

Bulgaria: Velislava Kostova, Gelavito (Saedinenie), “Farm Cheese Saedinenie”

Belgium:

• Fabio Marasti, La Gourmand’Ice (Heusy), “Nessun Dorma”
• Christian Wu, Gelateria Giotto (Jette), “Il Bosco dei Cento Acri”

Czech Republic:

• Jakub Gavor, Ještě jednu (Brno), “Bacio Cake”
• Lukáš Pohnán, Zmrzlina Senomaty (Senomaty), “Tarte Tatin”

Greece:

• Dimitrios Charalambous, Gelato Palladion (Rhodes), “Yoghurt Orange”
• Charalampos Marantidis, Marantidis Gelateria (Kavala), “Exotic Greek Cheese”

Hungary:

• János Somodi, Florida Fagyizó (Balatonmáriafürdő), “Torta della nonna”
• Dávid Wilheim, DaCrema Fagyizó (Nagykanizsa), “Il Re del Piemonte”

Netherlands:

• Kees Baars, IJsie Prima (Callantsoog), “Seaside Delight”
• Stefan Beerens, Kennis van IJs (Duizel), “Jmagi”

Poland:

• Wioletta Gbiorczyk, Lodziarnia Mleczna (Radom), Almond Biscuit
• Tomasz Szypuła, Szypuła 1974 (Baborów), HYĆKA, Elderflower and Berry

Spain:

• Carlo Guerriero, La Cremeria Gelato Italiano (Cádiz), “Sherrymisu³”
• Alfredo José Marrero Páez, Menester (Puerto de la Cruz), “Origén Cacao”
• Bernardo Vicente Schenoni Siberta, Deleite Heladería Artesanal (Madrid), “Caprichio Persa”

Switzerland: Massimiliano Lanzafame, Maxsimo Gelateria Naturale (Düdingen), “Dedicato a te”

Press special award

The international press gave a Special Press Award for “Best Storytelling” to Julien Loeuil of Meyer Chocolatier (Paisy) for his flavour “Retour d’Alpage”. He received a professional refrigerated carry case for transporting gelato anywhere. Loeuil did not compete in the World Final, as the award was based only on his spoken presentation of the flavour.

The press jury was Bernard Bedarida (journalist, Eurovision / TF1, France), Teresa Bustelo (Spain correspondent, Foreign Press Association in Italy), Jasmine Thomas (Account Executive, EAT PR & Marketing, UK), Monika Soszyńska-Masny (Editor-in-Chief, Przegląd Piekarski i Cukierniczy, Poland) and Jean-François Devineau (pastry chef and founder of Pâtissiers dans le Monde, France).

Finalists already selected for the World Final

• Argentina: Emanuel Ratari, Heladería Lilo’s (Pergamino), “Cafetín de Buenos Aires”
• Brazil: Guilherme Geraldini Pereira, Biju Mani (São Francisco, SP), “Appia”; Aline Vieira, Flor do Ingá (Maringá, PR), “Doce Encontro”
• China: Jiang Jie, Peking Gelato (Beijing)
• Germany: Rino Bernardi, Gran Café by Rino (Ochsenhausen), “Red King”; Thomas Micolino, Eiscafé by Rino (Rottenburg am Neckar), “Kamelatte”; Enrico Piccin, Artigiani Gelato (Berlin), “Mediterraneo”
• Mexico: Juan Antonio Coyoli Maciel, Super Creamy (Mexico City), “Lisi”
• USA: Maria Liliana Biondo, uGOgelato (Cincinnati, OH), “Mandorland”; Francia Magsaysay, Francy’s Artisanal Ice Cream (Bergenfield, NJ), “Passionfruit Yuzu & White Chocolate”

With the 2022 to 2025 edition, Gelato Festival World Masters celebrated its 16th year. It began in Florence in 2010, inspired by the first documented gelato recipe, created in 1559 by architect Bernardo Buontalenti, and spread across Italy and Europe before reaching the United States in 2017 and then the world. Its 2017 to 2021 edition involved over 3,500 gelato artisans.

What this means for gelato makers in New Zealand

Majors Group is the official Carpigiani distributor in New Zealand. If these finalists inspire you, explore our artisan gelato machines, learn the craft at Carpigiani Gelato University, or show off your flavours in ISA gelato cabinets.

Source: Carpigiani news. Rewritten for New Zealand by Majors Group.