Carpigiani, an innovator of frozen dessert equipment, will showcase its new gelato bar business concept at the NAFEM Show, Feb. 19-21, at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Carpigiani will offer gelato bars, or frozen gelato on a stick, complete with coatings and toppings made in Carpigiani's 191k soft serve freezer and Fantastick Blast freezer.  

The gelato bar concept is gaining momentum in the frozen dessert market with gelato bar shops surfacing across the U.S.

Tony Franco of Polo Palo in East Haven, Connecticut, left his job in the transport industry to pursue his gelato pop shop. Polo Palo offers over 40 flavors of gelato bars, frozen yogurt, smoothies, soft serve ice cream, and gelato.

Gelato bars offer an array of creativity for customers with infinite combinations of coatings and toppings. Franco says his best seller is the Oreo Gelato Bar dipped in milk chocolate scattered with sprinkles.

"Customers choose gelato bars over ice cream because it's something fun and different,” Franco says.

Pop Bar, located in the West Village of New York City, has also found its niche in the frozen dessert industry. It offers healthy treat options from pistachio gelato pops to kiwi pop sorbetto.

Carpigiani will make gelato bars on site with their UC-191k countertop soft serve model and Fantastick Blast Freezer. The IC-191k countertop features a unique cylinder construction that delivers creamy, smooth soft serve ice cream and gelato.

The gelato will then be injected into Fantastick's 48 molds and placed in the Fantastick Blast freezer, which freezes the gelato bars in approximately 30 minutes in an ergonomic position so as to preserve the microcrystal, cellular structure. The Fantastick Blast Freezer can also serve as a blast freezer for other items as well as a preparation display cabinet.

Carpigiani will offer three coating options and up to twelve topping options to add to the gelato bar, making it a customizable treat.