Like a rollercoaster ride, full of uncertainties and\nsurprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We were attending SIGEP 2020, where we got to meet\nlovely people of Gelato Naturale Academy, Manuele and Brigitte. I was lucky I could\nenrol in their gelato courses while in Italy at that time. It was a turning\npoint for me as a gelato chef, and for Dal Cuore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then news of Covid broke around the world for the worst.\nBars, restaurants, cafes in Shanghai, including our shop, were locked up by the\nauthorities and not allowed to open. Many flights from Italy back to China were\ncancelled. I could only return to Singapore from Italy and hope for the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully in March, the Chinese authorities allowed\nshops to reopen, but with restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WHAT RESTRICTIONS WERE\/ARE THERE?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n No dining in, takeaway and deliveries only; These restrictions were relaxed in early May. However,\neveryone is still have to wear mask when out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WHAT HELP DID YOU GET FROM THE GOVERNMENT?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tax breaks; Business was slow at the beginning. With most people stuck at home, engaging customers on social media played a crucial part. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Invested in a membership database. We have now 25,000 customers in our database. Thankfully by summer, life had returned to normal. We\nhad the busiest summer ever, making over a tonne of gelato by hand every month.\nMany customers loved our gelato and thought it had improved over the previous\nyear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n INNOVATION\/WHAT DID WE CREATE?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In autumn, we partnered with swedish oat milk brand,\noatly, and developed \u201coatly earth\u201d – a vegan coconut matcha gelato. It was our\nmost successful product to date. Customers loved that it was photogenic and\nthey loved the message behind it – \u201csustainable living\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since dal cuore is based in shanghai, we also created\nshanghai scallion oil noodle gelato as a tribute to the local iconic noodle\ndish. It\u2019s a gelato consisting scallion infused brown butter, soy sauce, cream,\nand crispy scallion, noodles for topping. The gelato was a hit, and it got many\ntalking about it on social media. More people came to know about us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We had just finished our Christmas market which ran\nfrom 4th to 27th December. This month had officially been our busiest month to\ndate. I will remember the times we had to make gelato till 7am, 4am and 1am for\nconsecutive days. It was tiring but rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We almost doubled our sales this year, as we observed\npeople travelling less and spending more within the country, especially on high\nquality goods and services to feel good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NEWS FOR 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2021 will be about building on the brand, scaling up\nthe business with a second outlet, and growth into the online retail space. We\nplan to visit potential factories, learn what is needed in terms of logistics,\nsales and distribution. Ultimately, we hope we can serve everyone in the\ncountry with premium gelato made only from natural ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n END HAPPY NEW YEAR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Happy new year everyone and all the best for 2021!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.scuolagelato.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/IMG_9684-1024x768.jpg\")
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Temperature checks for all staff and guests;
Staff have to wear mask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 months free rental assistance as we were on government property;
Delayed payment of social insurance for staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WeChat official account to provide news updates, discount vouchers to encourage purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.scuolagelato.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/IMG_9686-1024x576.jpg\")
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