The 1963 Legendary Fruttini Gelato Opens Its First Physical Store in Milan's Brera District (Aug 10)

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Scroll through social media today and you'll find countless desserts that look like fruit but hide mousses, creams, and jams inside — an idea that feels thoroughly contemporary, inspired by modern French pâtisserie.

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Except that Antica Gelateria Matteo had this exact vision decades earlier: in 1963, in the small town of Lancusi in the province of Salerno. The inventor was Matteo Napoli, a curious and visionary gelato maker who took a real fruit, hollowed it out, transformed its pulp into gelato, and reassembled it in its original form. Thus were born the Fruttini Gelato — lemons, mandarins, oranges, strawberries, chestnuts, and walnuts transformed into a dessert that would become an icon of Italian dining. Now, over sixty years later, these tiny fruit-shaped gelatos are about to enter a new chapter: on August 10, Antica Gelateria Matteo opens its first-ever physical store at Via Mercato 30 in Milan's Brera district, marking the brand's transition from an exclusive supplier to restaurants, chefs and private clients into a full-fledged retail presence.

The Third Generation's Pivot in the 2000s

"Matteo Napoli was born in 1962," Paolo Santoprete, who together with his wife Serena Napoli (the founder's grandniece) has guided the company's transformation, told CiboToday. "Back then, the machines and technology we have today didn't exist — gelato was made with highly manual methods. He began experimenting with unusual flavors, moving toward genuine gourmet gelato research. The Fruttini Gelato idea arrived the following year." The real transformation of Antica Gelateria Matteo began in the early 2000s, when Paolo and Serena joined the business with a fresh entrepreneurial vision.

Until then, it had been a small artisanal gelateria in Lancusi, known mainly for its direct relationships with customers and restaurateurs. The new generation brought a more structured approach: a new production facility near Baronissi was built, and a commercial network with food agencies and specialist distributors was established. Early innovations included expanding to 27 fruit varieties (including numerous exotic fruits) and launching an e-commerce platform — remarkably forward-thinking at a time when ordering food online for 24–48 hour delivery was truly pioneering.

From Italian Restaurants to Global Markets: Growing Without Losing Craftsmanship

Antica Gelateria Matteo's growth took the brand beyond Italian borders: between 2010 and 2012, the first international shipments began to Asia, the UAE, and Europe, across both B2B and direct-to-consumer channels. To support the expansion, the company invested in two complementary production facilities — one in Pomezia and one in the province of Salerno — designed identically to preserve the artisanal production method. The international breakthrough came in 2023–2024 with the Chinese market, where the company now supplies three dedicated Fruttini Gelato partner outlets between Shanghai and Suzhou. In Italy, its presence in high-end dining remains strong — clients include Langosteria — with recent pop-up appearances on a gelato cart in Forte dei Marmi.

The challenge has been scaling production without turning an artisanal product into industrial gelato. "Our production is semi-industrial in scale, but the product stays the same. We chose two relatively small facilities — around one thousand to fifteen hundred square meters each — maintaining the same know-how and quality control." The ingredients follow the same philosophy: Fruttini Gelato contain only sugars, water, and fresh fruit pulp purchased daily from Rome's Agroalimentary Centre, with milk added for some varieties. This craftsmanship is reflected in the price point: Fruttini Gelato range from about €3 for smaller fruits like peanuts to €11 for avocado.

The Belloni Family Investment and a New Growth Plan

In 2025 the company accelerated further with the Belloni family joining as shareholders. Francesco Belloni, son of LVMH Italia president Antonio Belloni, acquired a minority stake with the aim of supporting the brand's national and international development. Today the company produces approximately 90–100,000 kilograms of Fruttini Gelato and 50–70,000 tubs of gelato annually, with revenues up 40% in the last year.

From Lancusi to Brera: The Street Comeback of Fruttini Gelato

The new Milan store represents the first piece of a far broader strategy. The roughly 50-square-meter shop at Via Mercato 30 will be staffed by four people. It won't be a traditional gelateria with table service — the concept is direct purchase, with the option to enjoy your gelato at small tables inside or outside. Customers can choose the classic cone or cup, buy Fruttini individually served in small boat-shaped trays, or take them home.

Inside the New Milan Store

The shop will feature 23 rotating gelato flavors, with one or two new additions each week. The brand currently has around 130–140 gelato and sorbet flavors, with the in-store range spanning timeless classics to inventive creations like lemon and sage, lime and ginger, or prosecco cocoa. But the heart of the store will remain the Fruttini (sold at the same price as online), displayed in a specially designed setting: not a traditional gelato counter, but a steel-top display with handmade ceramic elements custom-crafted by Tales on Tables, featuring small bowls that cradle each reconstructed fruit. Several Milan-exclusive novelties are also planned, including dragon fruit and a large cocoa pod. Milan is just the beginning — the retail expansion will bring Antica Gelateria Matteo to major European capitals. After all, Fruttini Gelato was a contemporary idea long before anyone talked about "food design" or "Instagrammable" eats: a real fruit turned into a dessert, without imitation or artifice.