Brian O’Donnell gets up early every morning to make his product before the store opens.
The former accountant worked in hotel management and had a family catering business before moving into gelato seven years ago, starting a business in the small Victorian town of Mildura.
In 2014, the family moved to Adelaide and opened a gelato parlour next to the city’s main food district in the heart of Chinatown.
Although they were able to buy fresh fruit to flavour their range, sales of 48 Flavours’ traditional gelato lines had a slow start.
Then Brian began shopping at local Asian supermarkets and asking shoppers for their opinions. He says getting them to do taste-tests on his product was a learning experience.
Through experimenting with flavours he developed a new range of products to suit his target market.
Initially, their new range included black sesame, taro and taro and coconut.
Taro and coconut, black sesame and durian are some of the Asian-inspired gelato flavours at 48 Flavours. Source: Supplied
However, the most popular by far is a traditional Asian favourite: durian.
The pungent thorn-covered fruit is sold throughout Southeast Asia, and is used in many sweets and desserts.
Brian says durian is a traditional taste for many Asian migrant families.
“The Asian community here ate durian in the streets; they grew up with durian, so it brings back so many memories," he says.
48 Flavours also fills wholesale orders, and Brian is creating quirky new flavours for many local businesses, including tequila and raspberry gelato for a Mexican restaurant.
But it's his pear, fig, walnut and gorgonzola that has the world talking.
The cheese-platter inspired creation picked up the people's choice awards at the Gelato World Tour in Italy last year.
The pear, fig, walnut and gorgonzola gelato. Source: Brian O'Donnell
The popular product is also a ‘loss leader’ for the small business. A ‘loss leader’ is a pricing strategy where a product is sold below its market cost, to stimulate other sales.
Discussing this strategy, Brian says: ‘from an accountant's background, you may look to get the cheapest product, the most value for money, whereas we didn't. We wanted the best product we could, the best ingredients we could, irrespective of the price."
This approach has led to almost 30 per cent growth year-on-year.
Now, with retail sales plus the wholesale arm and a mobile gelato cart, the operation turns over about $1.4 million annually.
The O'Donnells are also looking at franchising into Southeast Asia.
