Papalani Gelato® is a family-owned and operated purveyor of handmade Hawaiian style gelato, gelato cakes, gelato sandwiches, gelato drinks, and locally made chocolate dedicated to sharing its hand-crafted artisanal Hawaiian inspired gelato with customers from all around the world. Many customers rave that Papalani™ has the best gelato (Italian style ice cream) and best chocolate in the nation.
Since opening the original Papalani Gelato® on Kauai in 2008, owners Marck and Lauren Shipley have been constantly asked to open a location here or there within the state, and elsewhere. Customers love the Papalani™ product and while gelato is still a new product in the US market, once tried, most consumers prefer it to ice cream or other more traditional frozen desserts. It’s a business of passion and the Shipleys aim to share their passion with others who are looking for a fun and exciting business to own.
Why Gelato?
It all started in 1985 when Marck walked into Lauren’s shared house. Soon, Lauren would leave Hawaii and her career as a gemologist to join Marck in the Bay Area, where he was an executive in the high-tech industry of Silicon Valley.
A three-week trip to Italy almost 15 years ago sparked the Shipleys’ love affair with gelato. Traveling with their two children, they were enchanted by the Italian practice of on-site, artisan food production. Each gelato shop made its own gelato, and each was slightly different in taste, texture and quality. Although they didn’t know at the time what a huge part gelato would play in their future, the Shipleys were hooked.
In 2003, Marck and Lauren Shipley founded a successful gelato retail business on Salt Spring Island, Canada. They also founded Salt Spring Gelato in British Columbia which is a wholesale gelato business. Each of the businesses was a success and introduced gelato into new markets. Marck and Lauren have developed their own proprietary products that use all natural ingredients and are renowned for their incredible flavor and textures. They have developed an infrastructure which delivers the highest quality ingredients and other products to franchise owners.
The Papalani Gelato® Mission:
Our mission is to create unique flavors using all natural and organic ingredients. We make our product by hand every day in our store. We use as many local ingredients as possible in every pan we make. When visiting our store, you will find familiar flavors of gelato, but many flavors which are unique to our kitchen. We believe using fresh local ingredients and making our gelato fresh every day differentiates from any other frozen dessert business on Kauai. We accomplish these things in an environmental friendly and sustainable manner.
The Papalani Gelato® Values:
Papalani Gelato® is very mindful of the footprint of its business activities, and is committed to developing practices in harmony with the environment and community. As food producers, they respect their sources and choose ingredients that are sound, seasonally produced, and local whenever possible.
- Identify and leverage sustainable business practices
- Buying as many local products as possible to reduce transportation and fuel costs as well as to support the Kauai and Hawaii economy
- Reusing gelato display pans
- Utilizing energy efficient equipment
- Support local organizations and groups which share our values.
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