Mumbrella360: ‘Let’s not f*ck it up, let’s stay on track’ – Gelato Messina bought the cow, but the milk wasn’t free

Gelato Messina started with one store, and a lot of coffee. Over those coffees, the idea to build a gelato empire was forged. Or rather, it slowly took shape, one scoop at a time.

As Declan Lee, the co-founder, brand custodian, and self described ‘facilitator of stuff’ at Gelato Messina explained at the Mumbrella360 conference last week, the moment where the master plan for culinary chain success was carved didn’t really happen. Ever.

“I don’t think that moment ever came, really,” he told the audience. “It’s just that we kept going. We’d all had failures in our businesses, and failures in life, and we’re all old enough to not get cocky. We just kept thinking, ‘when’s this going to end? Let’s not fuck it up, and let’s just keep on track’, and that’s what we’ve continued to do.”