Sammontana's Sweet Entry Into the U.S. Market

On a warm Sunday couple of weeks ago, a line began forming in Madison Square Park long before noon. It wasn’t for a concert or a protest or a food truck, it was for gelato.

More specifically, for Sammontana, the iconic Italian brand making its U.S. debut with free scoops of its iconic creations, including Pistachio, Almond Brittle and Salted Caramel which took the Madison Square Park by storm.

The event, complete with a blue-and-yellow gelato cart, cheerful servers, and even a few Italians misty-eyed with nostalgia, marked a significant turning point for a brand that began in a small Tuscan town of Sammontana after World War II. And while the free scoops were a moment of joy, the story behind Sammontana’s arrival in America is rooted in strategy, heritage and an enduring family legacy.

A Taste of Italy, Decades in the Making

Founded in 1946 by Romeo Bagnoli and his sons, Sammontana started with second-hand equipment bought from American soldiers leaving Italy. The family transformed a humble dairy shop into a thriving gelateria, and over time, Sammontana became Italy’s most beloved gelato brand.

“Our story is that of generosity. A local nobleman in Sammontana, not far from Empoli purchased cows from the Marche region to provide milk for children who were not being properly nourished in the difficult postwar years. When milk production exceeded local demand, they began to sell the excess milk as a way to preserve this resource. That small, heart-driven gesture eventually led to the creation of a dairy shop in Empoli,” says Leonardo Bagnoli, president of Sammontana Holding.

In fact, Leonardo’s grandfather Romeo Bagnoli, who was working for the national railway service at the time, saw an opportunity to give his family a better future. Romeo Bagnoli’s sons went to Genoa and bought equipment to make gelato from the American troops leaving Italy after WWII. The family then purchased the dairy shop in Empoli and Renzo, the older of his sons, turned it into a gelateria and started producing gelato, deciding to keep the original name, Sammontana.

Today, the company sells over 100 million gelato units per year and dominates Italy’s frozen dessert aisle. And now, with an ambitious plan in place, they’re going after the American palate.

Building on Familiar Ground

Sammontana’s U.S. launch isn’t just wishful thinking. Backed by Investindustrial, the company is betting on a smart, measured rollout. It has introduced its popular Barattolino, individual pints of authentic Italian gelato, across 11 Eataly locations, and many other retail stores across the country are filling their shelves with them as you read.

Its sister brand Bindi, a dessert supplier to restaurants and hotels, has been serving the American food industry for over 30 years, and that existing footprint gives Sammontana the distribution network and insight it needs to navigate U.S. tastes.

Beyond shelf space, Sammontana is investing in presence. Its July 20th event in Madison Square Park was part of a season-long partnership with the Madison Square Park Conservancy. Pop-ups will continue throughout the summer, after the free gelato carts at Carnegie Hall’s summer concerts, they’re becoming a new weekly ritual, ‘Sammontana Sundays,’ offering free scoops to park members.

And while these activations serve as brand awareness plays, they also reflect Sammontana’s core values of community, generosity and joy.

According to Leonardo, they are not trying to reinvent gelato, they’re here to share something beloved and genuine. “If we can bring a smile to people’s faces and offer even a small taste of la dolce vita, we’ll consider it a success,” he adds.

From Empoli to NYC And Back Again

Sammontana’s now-famous smiling cone logo was designed by New York’s own Milton Glaser, the legendary designer behind “I ❤ NY.” Marco Bagnoli, the current President of Sammontana Italia had reached out to Glaser during a period of rapid growth, hoping to create a visual symbol that captured the brand’s spirit.

“He gave us more than a logo,” Leonardo shares. “He gave us a smile that has lasted generations. There’s something poetic in the fact that it was born here, in New York, and now it returns as we begin a new chapter in the U.S.”

That same smile, bright yellow, cheeky, and unmistakably Italian, now greets New Yorkers from across the park.

To Italians, Sammontana isn’t just dessert, it’s a ritual. It’s the gelato they grew up with. The one they’d eat with their grandparents on a Sunday, or after school with friends, or on the beach in August.

That’s the feeling Sammontana hopes to bring to American consumers. In a country where ice cream is big business, Sammontana is offering a tradition. And sometimes, that’s exactly what people are craving.