Forest Farm’s new gelateria and farm shop in at Kinellar, Aberdeenshire, got off to a flying start with hundreds of people descending on the premises to get a bite of the action.
The organic dairy farm opened the doors to its latest addition at the weekend for a soft launch, announcing the launch on social media on Friday.
And while the Willis family which includes Angus, his brother William and their mum Anne, were anticipating a warm welcome, they never envisioned 1,000 people descending on the venue.
With additional parking space already added last summer in preparation of opening for this year’s summer season, the family were delighted with the turnout of customers eager to see and experience the new enterprise.
1,000 people
Angus said: “It was brilliant. We had a great opening weekend and we had so much local support. The sun was out and it was Mother’s Day on Sunday which was great. The weather makes it a nicer experience for those waiting socially distanced outside. And gelato is best enjoyed in the sun.
“We’ve not stopped since opening. I suspect we’ve had around 1,000 people through over the weekend.
“We made a lot of gelato – we make it fresh in the morning and we’re running two productions at the weekend so we have enough fresh product. Gelato is best served freshly churned. It all worked really well and the new staff did so well with the queues and the demand.
“We have a partnership with Figment Coffee in Aberdeen and it was really popular throughout the weekend, too. It is great to use a coffee roaster who roasts in the local area. They have been great in helping train our baristas and it has worked out really well.”
Gelato a hit
Serving up a range of flavours in the new gelateria, customers can enjoy numerous different Italian-style gelatos which have been made with the milk from Forest Farm’s organic herd of cows.
Flavours include pistachio, pure milk and chocolate to name only a few, however the most popular flavours over the weekend were honeycomb, rocky road and a coffee version, too.
“We make our own homemade honeycomb and we sold out of honeycomb,” Angus revealed.
“We’re doing a coffee flavoured gelato using Figment Coffee products and that sold out, too. We also make a rocky road with melted chocolate mixed into it and it went really fast as well.
“All of the flavours sold consistently well over the weekend, but they were the top three. We’ve got new flavours coming this weekend as well.”
As well as gelato Forest Farm also boasts a range of homemade sorbets which provides choice for those looking for a dairy-free alternative.
He added: “We always have a sorbet as a dairy-free option. This week we have passion fruit but Will and I are taking part in a gelato university course just now and are working on our new sorbets at the moment. We’ll have something new next week.”
Gelateria meets farm shop
In the new 50m2 farm shop, customers will find the gelateria, freezers stocked with freshly made ice cream which is made on-site and a range of fridges stocked with their natural yoghurt and other products from local producers.
There is also a barista counter where they can order hot drinks from, including a hot chocolate made from indulgent melted chocolate from a hot dripping tap which can also come topped with homemade marshmallow.
As well as the new additions, the established self-service farm shop on-site will remain in place for those customers who want to get their products quickly, instead of stopping by for a hot drink or gelato. It currently houses Scotland’s first milk vending machine which is a big attraction for locals and tourists alike.
Takeaway benefits
With restrictions on hospitality starting to lift, with April 26 the date many cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars can begin to reopen indoors, Angus says the fact the business can run as a takeaway has allowed them to launch earlier.
Looking to create a new al fresco area outside for customers to enjoy during the warmer months, Angus envisions the farm will be a popular place for all ages throughout summer.
He said: “We’ve started working on the design for the outdoor area. Right now we have a holding area in place for customers to wait for their order, but by summertime we’ll have a whole new area with lots of different types of seating.
“The garden area will be where you can get your ice cream from the hatch – this is the area we put in to keep people safe last summer when we had the pop-up gelateria.”
“Overwhelmed”
Welcoming not just new customers, but a new team of staff at the weekend, too, Angus says the operation couldn’t have run smoother, with the new team getting stuck in from the get-go.
He continued: “We have been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received. It was great to see so many familiar faces and also some new customers. We’ve had so many lovely messages and feedback and it was great for the team too. It has been a really positive experience and we hope everyone enjoyed their gelato and coffee. We hope to see others soon when it is safer to travel.
“It has also been busier than I thought during the week, too, which has been brilliant to see.”