New £ 1.7m factory helps iconic brand celebrate 100th year in business
AN iconic Scottish ice- cream brand is celebrating its centenary by opening a £ 1.7 million factory in Rutherglen. Equi’s new plant will be able to produce four times the volume of their award- winning gelato than their existing factory.
The family firm is marking its 100th year in business by relocating from its original home in Hamilton – where it has been producing tasty flavours since 1922 – to the new 10,000sq ft factory which has sustainability at the forefront of its design, with features such as a bespoke water recycling system that saves upwards of 16 million litres of water per year.
The firm’s Scottish story started in 1914 when Pietro Equi, 15, came to Scotland to seek his fortune and found his calling selling the gelato he so missed from back home.
David Equi, managing director, said: “When my grandfather Pietro immigrated to Scotland from Tuscany in Italy, he started the small independent café that we know today as Equi’s Hamilton.
“Now into its fourth generation in the ice cream business, my family has continued this principle of using the best quality, locally sourced ingredients and to this day we only use fresh local Scottish milk and double cream for all our ice cream, which we get from a farm just along the road.
“Our new factory allows us to take our ambitious plans for production and growth to the next level.”
Gary Munro, production manager of Equi’s Ice Cream, added: “This is a real game changer for the ice cream industry in Scotland. Our purpose- built unit has been designed to be as efficient and environmentally sustainable as possible with major upgrades in machinery. It’s unlike anything else in Scotland today. In addition to a 90% drop in water usage, our steam boiler uses 66% less gas and we continue to work with suppliers who allow us to support local businesses and further reduce our food miles, including Park Farm who supply our milk from ten miles away.”
Today Equi’s Ice Cream is sold via more than 300 independent customers across Scotland.