When two old college chums get caught up in a fiasco, it’s usually not a good thing. But for 2005 alumni Josh Davis (above right) and Bruno Tropeano, the “usual” rules don’t apply. Since meeting as Bentley freshmen, they have created two companies together. The latest — the Gelato Fiasco — has achieved a degree of success that defies its rather dubious name.
Momentum for the Brunswick, Maine-based gelateria has built quickly. The shop opened in August 2007; it now has six full-time employees. Along with running the Gelato Fiasco year-round, the alumni business partners offer their product through local grocery stores.
“The wholesale side of our business has really taken off,” says Davis. Among other accolades, the shop scooped up “editor’s choice” honors from Down East magazine in 2008.
Making gelato, an Italian-style ice cream that uses milk instead of cream, might seem like a stretch for former Finance majors. But the novelty was part of their inspiration. As Davis puts it: “We wanted to do something unique.”
They set out to learn as much as they could about the gourmet treat, and even took a how-to course in New York. The production method in use at the Gelato Fiasco is called
“hot process,” and they do it all from scratch. During a trip to Italy for the 2008 World Gelato, Pastry and Bread Show, Tropeano learned that most gelato shops buy powdered bases, rather than making them in-house.
“We had just assumed that everybody made everything from scratch,” says Tropeano, a first-generation Italian American. “After the show, it was apparent to me that it has become a paint-by-number, mass-produced kind of a thing. So the ‘fiasco’ in my mind is the way other people handle gelato.”
At their own shop, Davis and Tropeano are dedicated to reviving the art of gelato making. The two test and taste each of the 300 different flavors — including their personal favorites, molasses peppermint and nocciola (hazelnut) — to make sure they get it right. And they bring their Bentley degrees into the mix as well.
Tropeano gives special credit to the social and pitching skills he developed at Bentley. “It gave us competitive advantages that some people who go into business for themselves don’t naturally get.” Deblina Chakraborty
Connect U
Hear Josh Davis explain how gelato is made and view a slideshow of the process.
Regional accounting and consulting firm Baker Newman Noyes has named Karl A. Heafield, New Boston, N.H., to be managing principal of its office in Manchester, N.H. The company also has offices in Maine.
1993
Andrew W. Kim, Norwood, Mass., has taken on the job of chief financial officer for Gray, Gray & Gray. The accounting firm has offices in Westwood and Framingham, Mass.
Tina M. (Stambrouskas) Thomas, Raymond, N.H., has accepted a position at accounting firm Howard & Company.
1994
Kathleen (Lee)
Donnelly, Reading, Mass.,
has been promoted to
chief financial officer for Investors Capital Holdings of Lynnfield, Mass.
Craig J. Gillespie, Middleton, Mass., has been appointed chief executive of the North American division at Milford, Mass.-based Manhattan Software.
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