Gelato Fiasco

Gelato Fiasco is located in the historic Old Port district of Portland, Maine, just a block from Casco Bay. Close by to downtown portland maine hotels, boutique shopping, fantastic restaurants, and plenty of bars, the parlor is in a convenient location for visitors. Gelato Fiasco offers customers up to 30 fresh flavors of gelato daily. The ice cream parlor was named Portland’s Best Ice-Cream Parlor by readers of the Portland Phoenix (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) and Maine’s Best Ice Cream by readers of Down East (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018).

The founders of Gelato Fiasco were inspired by the techniques and practices of the Old World Italian masters of gelato and use them as a foundation for creating new American flavors born of the essential traits of truly artisanal gelato: use of local milk, adding only the best ingredients, and making a fresh product daily.

The ice cream parlor sources their whole milk and cream from family dairy farms. All of the farms they source from pledge not to use artificial growth hormones. Milk and cream used for scoops in their Maine shops comes from Maine and New England dairy farms. Additionally, their products do not contain artificial flavors or colors. Gelato Fiasco also does not use high fructose corn syrup; the sugar in their gelato and sorbetto base is plain sugar. The ice cream parlor gets their pistachios from Sicily, vanilla beans from Madagascar, and wild blueberries from down the coast of Maine. If you're looking for things to do in Portland, Maine while visiting, visiting them is a must-do. 

Additional Store Features:

• Unlimited sampling of flavors
• Gluten and fairy free options
• An amazing coffee bar
• Freshly made cinnamon-sugar waffle cones
• Take-home pint freezer
• Free wireless internet
• Outdoor seating
• All major credit cards accepted

About the Founders:

Joshua Davis - Co-Founder and CEO

Josh was 24 years old when he founded Gelato Fiasco with Bruno, who was 23 at the time. He grew up hoping to be a naval officer or a businessman. Josh was named one of the Portland Press Herald’s “40 Under 40” nominees, the MaineBiz Small Company CEO of the Year, and, with Bruno, was the Small Business Administration’s Young Entrepreneur of 2014 for New England. He’s been quoted by Reuters, Bloomberg News, and CNN/Money. He enjoys listening to NPR, reading historical fiction, visiting the midcoast’s beaches, and appreciating good food and drink. A native of Belgrade, Maine, Josh graduated from Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. He lives in Portland.

Bruno Tropeano - Co-Founder

Bruno grew up taking yearly trips to Italy to visit relatives (his parents immigrated to the United States before Bruno was born). That’s where he honed his taste for gelato. With Josh, he was honored as an Empact100 winner at the White House in 2012. When not making sure your gelato is absolutely perfect, he enjoys playing video games and watching virtually all types of television. Bruno graduated from Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. He lives in Orlando, Florida.

Gelato Fiasco helps build the neighborhoods in which they live and work. Their Scooping for Community Program provided more than $100,000 in cash support to more than 50 Maine non-profit organizations in the lifetime of the program.