Gelato Bros, at the Foodworks in Weston, is selling its plant-based choc ices in a Saudi supermarket chain, backed by £103,000 of loans for a bigger machine.

A small ice cream maker in Weston-super-Mare is now selling its choc ices in Saudi Arabia. Gelato Bros has won a contract with a Saudi supermarket chain, its first export order.

Its plant-based choc ices travelled about 3,000 miles to reach Saudi shelves in August. That is according to SWIG Finance, the lender that arranged the loans behind the firm’s expansion (SWIG Finance, 4 November).

Gelato Bros Ltd is based at Unit 10, The Foodworks, on Whirlwind Road at the Weston Enterprise Area, Companies House records show (Companies House).

An email that looked like spam

Founder Osama Rashed was on his honeymoon in January when the email arrived from a Middle Eastern supplier.

“They told me they had seen our brand and thought it would go down well with their customer,” he said. “To be honest, I thought it was spam. Luckily, they chased me a few weeks later and everything moved very quickly after that.”

The first order was made on the firm’s old machine. It produced about 2.5kg a batch, and the order needed around 100kg a day, or about 40 batches. “I roped in anyone I could and we worked around the clock,” he said.

For about four weeks, everything the firm made went to Saudi Arabia. Its UK stockists sold out during the summer heatwaves as a result.

£103,000 for a bigger machine

The Saudi order helped the firm borrow £103,000 in total, delivered by SWIG Finance for the British Business Bank:

  • £41,000 in Start Up Loans: a £25,000 loan in 2022 and a £16,000 second loan in 2026
  • £62,000 from the South West Investment Fund

The money paid for a new ice cream machine, built to order in Italy. It arrived in August and has increased production sixfold, SWIG says.

“I could never have done that with a 2.5kg ice cream machine,” Mr Rashed said. He is now in talks with another Middle Eastern retailer and with British chains.

Three boxes of Gelato Bros choc ices, Pistachio Baklawa, Salted Peanut Butter and Cookie Dough, with two unwrapped choc ices cut open on a steel counter.
Gelato Bros choc ices. Pistachio Baklawa is still the best seller, the firm says. Photo: Jon Craig, supplied by SWIG Finance

From mochi to choc ices

Mr Rashed started the business during lockdown, after deciding to leave long working hours in London behind. He learned gelato-making in Bologna and launched with plant-based mochi, Japanese ice cream balls, in flavours drawn from his British-Egyptian background.

Finding buyers was hard at first, so the firm switched to choc ices. Pistachio Baklawa is still its best seller. The company says it avoids additives such as flavourings, colourings and emulsifiers. Its Pistachio Baklawa choc ice is 14% pistachio.

In the 2026 Great Taste Awards, its salted peanut butter flavour won two stars and Pistachio Baklawa one star, SWIG says.

What it means for you

  • It is a Weston success story. SWIG says the business is establishing itself as a local employer in Weston.
  • That site is in line for more. A second phase of the Foodworks is named in the council’s list of projects for funding through the West of England Combined Authority. Read what North Somerset wants from WECA.
  • Small firms can borrow the same way. Start Up Loans offer up to £25,000 per director at a fixed rate, with free mentoring. In the South West they are delivered by SWIG Finance.