A gelato chain with more than 190 shops across Brazil is preparing to open in New York City, with a West Village storefront at 287 Bleecker Street. Bacio di Latte, founded in São Paulo in 2011 by brothers Edoardo and Luigi Tonolli, will mark one of the first places on the East Coast where New Yorkers can get its gelato.
The West Village storefront at 287 Bleecker Street was first reported in August by WhatNow NYC, which noted it takes over a space previously occupied by folding bicycle retailer Brompton Junction. An exact opening date for the shop has not been announced.
From a Road Trip Across Italy to a São Paulo Gelateria Empire
The brothers' origin story has an unusual twist for an Italian-style gelato chain: it was born in Brazil. Edoardo and Luigi Tonolli were inspired to start the company after traveling across Italy and drawing inspiration from traditional recipes, per the chain's own account relayed by WhatNow NYC. That research trip eventually grew into a business with more than 190 gelaterias across Brazil and over 250 locations worldwide as of September, according to a listing on SimplyHired.
Co-founder Edoardo Tonolli first brought the concept to the United States in 2017 with an initial storefront in Los Angeles, a timeline detailed by the Santa Monica Daily Press. The brand has concentrated its U.S. footprint in California ever since, with shops including one on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica and another at Valencia Town Center in Santa Clarita, per the seed story. Corporate hiring records from September indicate the West Los Angeles-headquartered U.S. division is scaling from 26 California locations toward a goal of 35 nationwide by the end of the year as it expands into New York and Arizona, according to listings reviewed by Vaia.
Daily-Made Gelato With Imported Italian and Belgian Ingredients
Despite its size, Bacio di Latte makes its gelato fresh every morning in each shop, according to the company. For its U.S. locations, the chain sources organic whole milk and cream from family dairy farms in Sonoma County, including Clover family farms, per details on Visit Newport Beach's site. The menu includes pistachio and hazelnut flavors, along with Belgian chocolate.
The menu on offer includes Belgian chocolate, salted caramel, and giandujotto gelato, along with a pistachio flavor made with nuts sourced from Italy. Shops also run an affogato bar and serve a ciocchino, a cone lined with Nutella or pistachio cream and crunchy nuts. A cookie and gelato pairing lets customers top warm chocolate chip, brownie, or cinnadoodle cookies with a scoop, and gelato can be packed into pints and larger containers mixing two to four flavors.
Rotating Flavors Keep Shoppers Coming Back
Bacio di Latte updates its storefront menus with new seasonal or limited-time flavors roughly every three weeks, layering rotating options onto its more than 20 standard daily choices. One past limited-time offering, Crema Positano, combined lemon custard gelato with lemon meringue cream.
Bacio di Latte recently opened in Claremont Village, part of a run of California openings this year that also included a planned shop at Glendale's Americana at Brand and a charity-driven debut in San Jose's Santana Row.
