Cattabriga Effe vertical batch freezer
Do you live in North America and want to open a gelato shop? Then keep reading my friend!
Keep in mind, these are also probably the best machines you can buy around the Globe.
Outside of Europe, buying gelato machines is pretty simple: we don’t have too many choices, but we still want to make the best decision to meet our specific needs.
First let me start by saying that, when it comes to gelato, I strongly recommend Italian machines and not other American made ones for example. There is a big difference, especially in price, performance, quality… and for good reasons.
Now that we got that out of the way, in USA and Canada there are mainly 4 brands I would consider:
Carpigiani - worldwide leader in the industry
Bravo
Coldelite
Cattabriga Effe vertical
If I were you my choice would depend on 2 deciding factors: your own production process & customer service/maintenance.
Also please keep in mind that here I am considering the best machine for a specific job. For example Cattabriga makes pasteurizers and horizontal batch freezers as well, but Carpigiani is far superior in that category.
Company Overview & Specialties
Carpigiani: the worldwide leader in gelato machine manufacturing, an Italian company with a very long history and probably the most famous around the globe as well. Really good quality machines, expensive but worth it. Very well designed, updated often and with a really wide network of technicians (very important). Specializes in stand alone pasteurizers, horizontal batch freezers & soft serve machines. Gruppo Ali (who owns Carpigiani), also owns Coldelite & Cattabriga, but keeps them as separate brands.
Bravo: another Italian company who specializes in “all in one” machines. They trademarked the “Trittico” which is, to these days, their top seller and most famous machine. They are relatively new in North America, but they are trying to establish themselves pretty aggressively. Great option as an all in one, you just want to make sure the post sale support is strong as well in your area.
Coldelite: Carpigiani started Coldelite in the US back in the 70s to take over the market. They focus on “all in one” machines, and are overall really great quality. A brand that is born for the US market, but with Italian knowledge and expertise, these machines are a great choice as well.
Cattabriga: Started in Italy in the early 1900, they invented the first automatic gelato machine which was a vertical one. This one is different from the more modern horizontal ones, and this is where Cattabriga specializes. If you want a vertical machine in North America, then the Cattabriga Effe is your only (but very good) option. Carpigiani bought the company, but kept the “Effe” line going strong. They also sell newer horizontal batch freezers, but for those I would just buy Carpigiani. Keep in mind that I do not recommend vertical machines for new, inexperience chefs and/or as your only option in your shop.
Production Process
If you wish to craft your gelato the traditional way, with pasteurizer and batch freezer, then Carpigiani, or a mix of Carpigiani pasteurizer and Cattabriga vertical batch freezer are pretty much your only options.
If you wish to produce without adding a separate pasteurizer, then an all in one machine is what you are looking for and your choices would be between Bravo and Coldelite.
If you wish to do a cold process, with no pasteurization, and, even if I do not recommend it, then your choice would be between Carpigiani batch freezer or Cattabriga Effe vertical machine.
One thing that I want to stress, and that it is very important, is to make sure you can get good, reliable post sale assistance and technicians that come out quick and fix your machines. Because you normally have 1 machine (at least at the beginning), so if that one does not work you are not making gelato ‘till it’s fixed. This is also why I do recommend buying new machines and good quality ones, because all you need is a nice summer day out of service and you wish you did. Don’t get me wrong, this can happen with any machine, but if we can minimize problems, that’s better. So please make sure your area is covered and get all these info BEFORE you buy!
Hopefully this was helpful & valuable!
Got questions? We’ve got answers! Don’t forget to sign up for our free Q&A newsletter - sign up directly here!
Need tools, equipment, ingredients for testing or to get you started? Check out our trusted shopping list here.
A presto amici!
Vincenzo