ESTABLISHED in 1952 by Domenico Parisella (who arrived in Britain in 1912 before later working for Forte’s Ice Cream in Llandudno), and originally “Continental Ice Cream Parlour”, Parisella’s is still going strong in Conwy today in the safe hands of younger generations of its founder’s family.
Making dairy ice cream, sorbet and non-dairy frozen desserts, it sells to about 90 North Wales clients, runs a thriving Conwy ice cream parlour and the Happy Valley Café in Llandudno, and has an exciting move to a bigger manufacturing unit to look forward to.
It’s not just the classics it scoops up, either – among their 60-plus flavours, there are plenty of exotic ones to try, such as Ferrero Rocher, Lotus Biscoff, and salted caramel.
For Tony Parisella, Domenico’s grandson, there was a sense of vindication when the company’s chocolate ice cream won “best flavour” at the 2022 National Ice Cream Competition in February, its first UK-wide award and judged by industry experts.
Tony said: “It was a major achievement for us; we’ve won awards in Wales before, but never UK-wide, so it was quite an achievement. I was quite-shell shocked; it was fantastic!
“Any doubts you have about yourself all go when you win an award – it was just that feeling of approval; that little old Parisella’s are doing well and won a big prize.”
Though never fully away from the company he has represented “on and off since I was a lad”, Tony, 60, has been back at Parisella’s full-time since 2006, when the company branched out into flavoured ice creams.
And despite the halts to trade caused by COVID-19, recent summers have proved some of Parisella’s’ busiest, and after 70 years in its Lancaster Square manufacturing site, it will relocate to a Conwy Morfa unit later in 2022, having now outgrown the old factory.
Tony added: “We have leased off the council a brand-new warehouse in Conwy Morfa – inside, we’re going to build a new ice cream factory from the floor upwards.
“We probably won’t make ice cream there until the autumn, but we’re really looking forward to it.
“There have been periods (since COVID) when we couldn’t trade; but then we opened up ‘takeaway cones’, and couldn’t have people in the shop, but were very busy.
“2020 was the busiest summer we’d ever had, and then last summer was even busier; it was incredible.”
Evidently, the baton has been passed on through the Parisella family seamlessly.
Parisella’s Ice Cream Parlour, 12 High Street, Conwy, LL32 8DE.
For more information, visit: www.parisellasicecreamparlour.co.uk.
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