The origin of PreGel is a beautiful story of Italian entrepreneurship, rooted in the community and closely linked to its founders. It is a story of great commitment and passion, the story of men and women who have dedicated their lives to research, innovation, product quality and dedication to the customer. PreGel is the fruit of a lifetime of work by an entire family that started out in a small town in Emilia Romagna, yet has managed to make a mark on the entire world.
It all begins in 1967 in Scandiano, Emilia-Romagna, when Dr. Luciano Rabboni and his wife start a small business that produces artisanal products for gelato and pastry shops. Laying the foundations of what, years later, would become a veritable institution in the gelato and pastry industry, they decide to call the company PreGel, short for “preparati per gelato” which means “ready gelato ingredients.”
In the first years of activity, PreGel proceeds with determination to introduce its ice cream mixes in an environment still characterized by a strong hold on handcrafted work, voicing the opinion that industrial production can also coincide with high quality.
In addition to concentrated fruit pastes, the first leading product of the company, PreGel launches in the early ’70s more gelato mixes that have made history, such as: Zabajone Vittoria, and the Gran Stracciatella Reale, the first of its kind. For these and many other innovative gelato products, PreGel wins numerous international awards and, despite the attempts of imitation, emerges as a leading company in the artisan ice cream industry, first in Italy then followed by Germany. In 1975, to mark this new phase, the PreGel fruit tree is designed and placed on bags and buckets, as it is still done today, symbolizing products of quality and reliability.
Throughout the following years, the drive for innovation continues and PreGel experiences a golden period with the launch of enormous hits, such as, Tiramisù Paste and Fruttosa, the first fruit gelato base. The biggest turning point, however, comes about one Sunday afternoon in 1985 when Dr. Rabboni perfects a revolutionary product: Yoggi®, the first frozen yogurt mix. Thanks to its light and natural taste, resembling that of fresh yogurt, Yoggi® immediately turns into an overwhelming success, becoming the example par excellence of absolute quality and rendering useless any attempt at imitation.
At the beginning of the ’90s, the first gelato bases for gelato “Rimini, Diamond and Vittoria” launch with great success. Complete and balanced, these products help to revolutionize the work in gelato laboratories, greatly simplifying and speeding up production. In the same period, the PreGel Arabeschi®, rich and delicious gelato and pastry fillings made with ingredients of the highest quality, are also born. In 1998, comes the equally important ground-breaking product, Pregellina®, a unique and patented product for the preservation of fresh fruit.