Award-winning artisan gelato brand Swoon is celebrating a landmark milestone this spring: ten years since it first opened its doors on College Green in the heart of Bristol. To mark a decade of handcrafted gelato, the brand is launching a once-in-a-generation competition, giving one lucky winner a Gold Card entitling them to free gelato for an entire year.
Founded in 2016 by Bruno Forte — whose Italian family introduced handmade gelato to Great Britain over 120 years ago — Swoon began its journey at 31a College Green, Bristol, with a simple but unwavering belief: that every life is made a little better by gelato. Ten years on, that belief has been rewarded with more than 100 Great Taste stars, a Supreme Champion title at the Great Taste Awards 2019, and a loyal following that stretches far beyond Bristol.
“College Green is where it all began. My Italian family introduced handmade gelato to the UK over a hundred years ago, and when we opened on College Green ten years ago, we were bringing that tradition home in a new way. Every scoop we’ve served there has been made with the same love and the same belief in quality that drives everything we do. Reaching ten years feels extraordinary, and we wanted to celebrate with the community that made it possible.”
— Bruno Forte, Founder, Swoon Gelato
Image - Swoon
Swoon remains very much a family affair. Bruno’s wife Ana Maria leads the brand’s marketing and digital strategy, while co-founder Pat Powell — Bruno’s sister — is the creative force behind the brand’s instantly recognisable chic black-and-white aesthetic, overseeing everything from shop design to packaging. Guiding the business through its next phase of growth is CEO Simon Blagden, one of the most experienced operators in the UK hospitality industry.
Simon was previously operations director at Pizza Express before joining Jamie Oliver’s restaurant group, where he headed the celebrity chef’s restaurant business from its launch in 2008, overseeing the full breadth of Oliver’s hospitality businesses, from the charity restaurant Fifteen to his high-street restaurant empire. His depth of experience in scaling quality food brands makes him a natural fit to lead Swoon into its next decade.
To mark the anniversary, Swoon will be running a special anniversary competition: one winner will receive a Swoon Gold Card, granting them free gelato at any Swoon bar for a full year. Full details of how to enter will be announced via Swoon’s social media channels in due course.
The College Green bar — the brand’s spiritual home — remains open seven days a week, from 10am until 10pm.
The anniversary comes at a moment of significant momentum for the brand. Swoon has also recently opened its sixth location, at 79a Parchment Street in Winchester, continuing its expansion across southern England. The brand now operates bars in Bristol, Bath, Oxford, Winchester, and a permanent concession within Selfridges Foodhall on London’s Oxford Street, with further openings planned.
Throughout its ten years, Swoon has remained steadfastly committed to the principles it was founded on: provenance, craft, and the very best ingredients — among them Somerset milk and Sicilian pistachios from the renowned Bronte growing region. All gelato recipes are developed exclusively for Swoon by Bologna-based gelato maestro Stefano Tarquinio of the Gelato University.
From a single gelato bar on College Green to the UK’s most decorated dessert producer, the first decade has been quite a ride. The next one is already underway.
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