Popular ice cream brands in Portugal

  

OMG, I can't believe that next week summer will end and that I just bought myself a new bikini...! Last week I got lucky enough to watch the marés vivas - some photos here - at the beach for the first time. Huge waves, quite a show. Ice cream is something we associate with summer. I want to tell you about Portuguese ice creams. It will be a sweet post!

I am not sure but I think this video is a collage of Olá Ice cream commercials. They still use the old logo. Olá is the most popular ice cream brand in Portugal. Olá began to manufacture ice cream in 1959. Portuguese do not eat a lot of ice cream. In Europe, my country is second with lower consumption. Finland consumes lots of ice cream as a dessert especially and it's at the top of the list. The country that consumes more ice cream in the world is the USA. You can find it everywhere.

But beyond this brand, there are several smaller brands that have great quality and that built quite a reputation. If you visit Portugal you must try Santini ice creams - il gelati piú fino del mondo - and Gelvi. You can find Santini ice cream in Lisbon, Cascais, and Estoril. If you're in Algarve the place you must visit is Olhão.

(The beginning...)

(Santini 60º Aniversary)

Gelvi is a regional business that has been passed down from generation to generation. I know that many of you might consider visiting Algarve. It's there you will find the factory and place to try Gelvi ice creams at the Olhão "Mercado” building opposite Ria Formosa. Gelvi ice creams use Algarve regional fruit like oranges, lemons, blackberries, strawberries, and almonds. Recipes are updated to please more demanding customers but the fabrication process remains faithful to its origins. They created ice cream with the flavor of the traditional Algarve sweet, Dom Rodrigo. 

And now I think I'll go out and buy myself ice cream! Or two! (Before summer ends.)