Many of you face the same situation almost every day. A customer walks in and asks:

“Do you have dairy-free gelato?”

“Do you have vegan gelato?”

“Do you have something with less sugar?”

Very often the answer is no, not because you don’t want to offer it, but because multiple flavours in a small shop can become complicated.

The Dream Scenario

Imagine being able to answer YES every time.

Not by increasing production complexity, but by offering a single well-designed product that covers several needs at once.

This is the idea behind the plant-based pistachio gelato we recently presented:
a vegan oat-based gelato built with what we call an Optimised Sugar System.

What does “Optimised Sugar System” mean?

In traditional gelato, sweetness and structure are usually controlled with sucrose and dextrose. These sugars do their job very well, but they also bring a relatively high calorie load.

In this formulation we separate structure, sweetness, and calorie contribution by using a combination of different sugars, each with a specific role.

The system includes:

Trehalose – helps build body and stability while contributing less sweetness than sucrose.

Tagatose – provides sweetness with a lower caloric impact and good freezing behaviour.

Stevia – used in very small quantities to fine-tune sweetness without affecting texture.

By combining these ingredients carefully, we balance two key technical parameters of gelato:

POD (sweetness level)

PAC (freezing point control / scoopability)

This allows the gelato to remain creamy, stable and scoopable, while reducing the overall caloric contribution from sugars.

The result

A vegan pistachio gelato that: is plant-based (oat base), uses an advanced sugar balance delivers 20–30% fewer calories compared to traditional sugar-based formulations, maintains the texture and flavour customers expect from real gelato.

What you gain back

When you can offer a product like this, several things change at the counter: You stop losing sales when customers ask for dairy-free or vegan options. Groups stay together, instead of one person leaving because there is nothing suitable. You attract new customers actively searching for plant-based choices. You gain a strong story to communicate at the counter. Very often, four person out of ten in line has a dietary preference or restriction.
When you have the right product, you can keep that entire group in your shop!