Before Italian entrepreneur Edoardo Tonolli opened Bacio di Latte, his chain of gelaterias, artisanal-ice-cream shops were virtually nonexistent in Brazil. Over the last 13 years, he has turned one small store on São Paulo’s tony Rua Oscar Freire into the biggest artisanal-ice-cream chain in the world, with more than 175 storefronts in Brazil alone. On Bacio di Latte’s Instagram page, which has almost half a million followers, fans leave comments such as “[Eating here] was the best experience I’ve ever had” and “thank God you exist.”
In 2017, Edoardo, 41, opened the first American outpost of Bacio di Latte, in Los Angeles. In addition to its usual flavors, such as pistachio and nocciola, he added American-inspired ones, like caramel, and cookies and cream. This month, after opening locations in Brentwood, Century City, and Newport Beach, Bacio di Latte is opening a fifth U.S. store, in Marina del Rey.
