Enjoying ice cream in Sardinia is becoming increasingly expensive. The production of cones, cups, granitas, popsicles, and sorbets is worth around €37 million. The average family spends €50 a year, and the cost of ice cream has increased by 40% between energy and raw materials . This is the picture emerging from research conducted by the Research Department of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna, based on data from Unioncamere-Infocamere and the Revenue Agency.
"The authenticity of artisanal gelato specialties," says Giacomo Meloni, president of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna, "drives the Sardinian economy and helps keep the Made in Sardinia food tradition flying high in Italy and around the world. It's precisely the concept of 'artisanal' that truly distinguishes it. For this reason, it's crucial to use this definition carefully, as it evokes the value of artisanal work and the freshness that characterizes these sweet specialties."
The analysis also found that between 2021 and 2025, the cost of ice cream increased by 39.6% , coinciding with a 30% increase in energy costs (with refrigerators running 24/7) and raw materials . Among the largest increases were cocoa, up 45.5%, sugar, up 33.3%, milk, up 23.4%, hazelnuts, which rose between 30 and 40%, and black cherries, up 40%.
Among Sardinians' top requests are "strawberry" and "chocolate," followed by "hazelnut," "lemon," "cream," "pistachio," and "stracciatella," although the evergreens "tropicana," "limoncello," "green tea," "rainbow," and even "loacker" are also popular. For those with dietary restrictions (one in ten), there's soy ice cream. Local flavors like "sebadas," "mirto," and "pardula," as well as cheese flavors, are also gaining popularity in Sardinia. But there are also cheesecake flavors with crumble and coconut, and even "pane burro e marmellata," made with farm butter.
(Unioneonline/En.Ne.)
