In Italy, summer rhymes with ice cream. And if you say ice cream, you can’t help but think of Sammontana, that brand that has accompanied our snacks, walks along the promenade, and afternoons in the park for over 70 years with a taste that tastes like home.
Over the years, this company has become a symbol of tradition and innovation in the world of ice cream, conquering the palates of millions of people in Italy and beyond. But behind every Barattolino, there is much more than just good ice cream: there is a story of family, vision, courage and, of course, smiles.
From artisan origins to national taste
It is 1946 in Empoli, Tuscany. Romeo Bagnoli opens a dairy shop that he calls Sammontana, after the farm in Montelupo Fiorentino from which he gets his milk. It was later to be Renzo Bagnoli, Romeo’s eldest son, who started ice cream production and transformed the dairy into an ice cream parlour. Given the success of ice cream, Romeo and his brothers decided to take it to bars outside Empoli. And so the first tin can containing 6 litres of ice cream was born. From here to becoming the first Italian company in the industrial ice cream sector, the step was long… but well taken.
From Barattolino to the world
Who has never had a Barattolino Sammontana in the freezer? It is one of those products that have marked generations. Barattolino, the family size of the tin for bars, was an ingenious intuition. In fact, it was born in the 1950s, right at the time when fridges with freezers were becoming popular in Italian homes. Today, it is available in 17 flavours!
Barattolino, however, is just the beginning: Coppa Oro, Stecco Ducale, Non Mordere, Coni 5 Stelle, each name is a little piece of Made in Italy to savour.
Over the years, the company has innovated continuously, even anticipating trends. Today, in fact, among the most popular products are vegetable lines such as Fruttiamo, fruit-based, and Amando, a milk- and gluten-free ice cream designed for those seeking taste but also well-being.
A little anecdote: it seems that the Coppa Oro was born from an intuition between marketing and gluttony. An ice cream that looked like a prize, a ‘cup’ for the summer… and so it was!
A sweet leadership (even frozen)
The company now employs over 2000 people and its turnover has exceeded EUR 900 million, confirming Sammontana as one of the leading players in the Italian food industry. It has six production plants in Italy, one in France and one in New Jersey, USA, while its headquarters are still in Empoli. Foreign markets account for around 20% of turnover.
In addition to ice cream, Sammontana has been able to diversify: today it is also a leader in frozen pastries thanks to brands such as Tre Marie Croissanterie, Il Pasticcere, Bindi, La Donatella, Forno d’Asolo and GelPat, a French brand of gourmet creations in choux pastry. Cakes, croissants, restaurant desserts: all with the quality you would expect from an Italian company with strong roots and an eye on the future.
An Italian style tha want to conquer the world
In 2025, Sammontana announced an ambitious goal: to grow internationally, taking their products—and above all their style—beyond national borders. The aim is to export the ‘Italian smile’, as they call it: a simple but compelling message in a world increasingly hungry for authenticity.
Solid skills and a strong focus on quality underpin this vision. Every day, Sammontana’s Quality team rigorously analyses raw materials and finished products and carries out in-line controls to ensure compliance with hygiene and system standards.
The research team, which designs tomorrow’s products, works alongside them. This work is guided by listening to new food trends and carefully selecting the most suitable raw materials to develop products that are good, innovative, and consistent with the company’s values.
To accomplish this evolution, Sammontana is investing in global campaigns and strategic collaborations and is building an identity that combines design, emotion, and Italian character. An ice cream that is not only to taste, but tells a story. And what a story!
Sammontana today: a Benefit Company
Today, Sammontana is a Benefit Company, i.e. a company that integrates social and environmental impact objectives into its bylaws. From the controlled supply chain to the commitment to sustainability (such as the ‘Summer Green’ projects or the partnership with Legambiente to clean beaches or study the evolution of glaciers), the company wants to be an active part of change.
Sammontana is not just an ice cream brand. It is a slice of Italy that tastes of vanilla, chocolate, and almond. It is the flavour that takes you back twenty years, to a carefree summer. It is the smile on the packaging and often on your face, too.
The great thing is that, after seventy years, this story still wants to grow, innovate and – above all – make us happy.
If you got a craving for ice cream reading all this, don’t worry: it happened to us too.
Discover more of Tuscany’s Made in Italy outstanding companies.