When Markham-based gelateria and café, Love Gelato, was forced to close their doors in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, its owners had to find new ways to continue bringing the classic Italian treat to the community.
Love for authenticity
Since opening in 2013, Love Gelato has become a household name, from humble beginnings serving handmade gelato on historic Main Street Markham to expanding into catering at weddings, corporate events, golf and sporting tournaments, as well as parties across the Greater Toronto Area.
While the café is known for its authentic gelato, made fresh in-store every day, they also serve espresso, lattés and cappuccinos, macarons, cookies and handcrafted cheeses. With over 25 years of experience, owners Daniel Imbrogno, Vlad Strbac, and Paolo Orsini, pride themselves on making gelato fresh in store every day, offering a range of gelato flavours, from citrusy lemon mojito, guava and passionfruit to the rich taste of Nutella, Italian biscotti, and dulce de latte.
[Photo courtesy of Cherrie “hungrysheepie” T. (via Yelp)]
During the spring, summer and fall, customers could go to the café and dine-in, or sit outside on the patio’s Muskoka chairs. Over the years it has become a gathering place for locals to enjoy the Italian sweet treat. However this year, things were different.
In early March, the World Health Organization declared the newly-discovered coronavirus, COVID-19, a pandemic. This promptly made countries across the globe, including Canada, go into lockdown for months to mitigate the spread of the disease. Businesses, largely restaurants and cafés, took a hit, unable to operate at full capacity due to health protocols that prohibited indoor dining and gatherings of any kind. As a result, Love Gelato had to close their doors until further notice.
“When this pandemic started we lost all of our events,” says Paolo Orsini, Love Gelato’s director of event operations. “This summer we had 141 events that we lost due to COVID, and at that point, our doors were shut. That’s when Daniel, Vlad and I had to sit down, get creative and think about what we could do to keep our business alive.”
A sweet solution
What started as a collective effort of adaptation took off to become a successful, contactless-delivery service.
“We came up with the idea of free-delivery to Markham and Stouffville. We just wanted to test it out through our Instagram platform and email.” says Orsini. “A lot of people were contacting us and ordering, happy with what we were doing with our gelato boxes and that we could continue to run our business through a delivery system. It was going so well that we created a website to take orders, and now expanded delivery across York Region and the GTA. It’s very exciting.”
Orsini, who is responsible for fulfilling gelato deliveries around the community, says the impromptu business move did not come easy at first. “We had never considered delivering gelato before because it can be a massive headache figuring out how to keep it cold for long distances. Once we did, we were set.”
Their secret? A handy delivery truck, and lots and lots of ice.
The idea that garnered success was all thanks to an Instagram post. “I created a post offering free-delivery to the local community and the response was incredible. It still gives me goosebumps thinking about it,” says Orsini.
With all the changes and adaptations that have had to be made during COVID-19, Orsini feels that with the pandemic also came potential growth for the local business.
“COVID, in a sense, made us focus more on our store and the community. At one point we were focusing so much on our catering events that we lost touch at our store, so it made us revisit that.”
Paolo Orsini
“As sad as it was to lose our events, as it was a big part of our business, we were able to instead start up a delivery service that’s allowed us to grow personal connections with our customers.”
Not only does Love Gelato’s artisan gelato come in a variety of flavours, including gluten and dairy-free options, but each order comes with a personalized, surprise, message and artwork.
“We are so thankful for our customers’ support and want to go above and beyond with every order we make,” says Orsini.
Markham-native, Matthew Vega, recalls going to Love Gelato during the summer with his family, and how they were able to continue their tradition safely by ordering it at home.
“Especially in these uncertain, difficult times, it’s nice to be able to have something to look forward to,” says Vega.
Jennifer and Natasha Dao, Toronto food bloggers and sister duo of @JenuineTaste on Instagram, say that “the transition to doorstep delivery was thoughtful to customers, given the safety risks of going out in the time of COVID. Our gelato order came within a day of ordering so it definitely left a good impression from a foodie perspective!”
[Photo courtesy of Jennifer “Jen” Dao via Instagram: @JenuineTaste]
Other local customers, such as Sara Angod, haven’t used the delivery service yet, but says she “would definitely try it in the near future.”
Angod who has immunocompromised family members at home, adds, “I enjoy the experience of walking over to their storefront and grabbing a scoop of gelato, and I think offering delivery is a clever alternative to getting that treat, and it makes it a lot safer too.”
After receiving such positive feedback over the last several months, Love Gelato plans to continue bringing gelato to people’s doorsteps after COVID-19 is under control. “I feel we have something special,” Orsini says, “The support we have received is tremendous and I am happy that our customers are happy. I want to keep it going and even improve on what we have now. Spreading joy – and a bit of love – is our goal.”
For more information about Love Gelato’s delivery service check out their website at LoveGelato.ca or on Instagram.