After Oreo, Milka, Toblerone and Lotus Biscoff, the famous Baci Perugina also officially enters the packaged ice cream market. The new “Baci Gelato” line is launched by Froneri, an international giant in the sector born from the joint venture between Nestlé and R&R Ice Cream, which in Italy already produces numerous industrial ice creams distributed in large-scale retail trade.
The official announcement came on May 6 during a presentation at the Ferentino plant, in Lazio, the group’s main Italian production hub. However, the novelty had already appeared in some supermarkets and retail channels.
The new line of Baci Perugina ice creams
The line is divided into three versions designed for different consumptions. The stick is the more “classic” single-portion version, the cone is the on-the-go size and the tray is the one designed for multiple portions or for sharing at home. The idea in all cases is to replicate the most recognizable elements of the famous chocolate in the ice cream: gianduia, hazelnuts and cocoa, with crunchy inserts and chocolate covering. Froneri then made it known that the packages also contain the traditional “secret message” typical of Baci.
Are they already on sale? Yes, the products are already distributed in some large-scale retail chains including Coop and should progressively arrive in the freezers of all supermarkets during the 2026 summer season. However, availability still seems limited and variable depending on the brands and cities.
The operation is part of a now consolidated strategy: transforming iconic snack and chocolate brands into packaged ice cream. In recent years, supermarket freezers have been filled with frozen versions of biscuits, pralines and spreads. For companies, the advantage is clear: use already famous brands, reduce launch costs and exploit nostalgia and immediate brand recognition.
The result is a market increasingly dominated by “hybrid” products, halfway between snack confectionery and ice cream, often very elaborate and with a high caloric density.
In the case of Baci, Froneri clearly focuses on the premium-emotional segment: not just an ice cream, but an experience linked to the romantic and nostalgic imagery built over the years by the Perugina brand.
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The ingredients
These are the ingredients of the tray version of Baci Gelato, which allow us to better understand how the product is made:
Rehydrated skimmed milk, water, hazelnut and cocoa sauce (10.8%) (sugar, vegetable oils and fats (sunflower, shea, coconut), hazelnut paste (1.4% in the finished product), whey powder, low-fat cocoa powder¹ (0.8% in the finished product), skimmed milk powder, emulsifier (lecithins), salt, natural flavouring), Sugar, glucose syrup, Hazelnut pieces covered with dark chocolate (dark chocolate (3.3% of the finished product) (cocoa mass¹, sugar, cocoa butter¹, emulsifier (E 476), natural vanilla flavouring), hazelnuts (2.7% of the finished product)), coconut fat, low-fat cocoa powder¹, cocoa-based couverture (coconut fat, sugar, cocoa mass¹ (0.2% in the finished product), low-fat cocoa powder¹ (0.1% in the finished product), cocoa butter¹, skimmed milk powder, emulsifier (lecithins (soya)), flavouring), hazelnut paste, whey powder, milk chocolate and gianduia hazelnuts (1.2%) (sugar, hazelnut paste, cocoa butter¹, whole milk powder, cocoa paste¹, skimmed milk powder, emulsifier (lecithins (soy)), natural vanilla extract), Caramelised hazelnut pieces (hazelnuts (0.6% of the finished product), sugar, dextrose, honey), Cocoa powder¹, Emulsifiers (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids), Stabilizers (locust bean gum, guar gum), Natural flavouring, ¹Rainforest Alliance certified. May contain other nuts and eggs, Gluten free
A very long list. The base is mainly composed of rehydrated skimmed milk, water, sugar and glucose syrup, while coconut fat appears prominently among the fats used.
The product focuses heavily on the “greedy” effect through layers, covers and crunchy inserts. The hazelnut and cocoa sauce represents 10.8% of the total, but the actual quantity of hazelnut paste in the sauce is 1.4% of the finished product, while the low-fat cocoa reaches 0.8%. There are also pieces of hazelnut covered in dark chocolate and small pieces of caramelized hazelnuts, as well as a percentage of gianduia chocolate equal to 1.2%.
Like many premium packaged ice creams, this one also contains several ingredients typical of industrial formulations, including vegetable oils and fats (sunflower, shea and coconut), emulsifiers, stabilizers such as guar gum and locust bean gum, as well as natural flavourings.
The ice cream is Rainforest Alliance certified for some raw materials such as cocoa and is declared gluten-free. However, it contains milk and soy and may contain traces of eggs and other nuts.
How much do new ice creams cost
On the Coop online site the cost for both the Baci tray and the stick (in a pack of 3) is 4.99 euros. Naturally the price may vary depending on the point of sale and in case of any offers.
