Cool customers
Team Henley Bridge was out in full force this week attending ICA 2026 at the NEC in Birmingham.
The two-day event is the UK’s only dedicated trade show for the gelato and ice cream industry and, as a leading supplier for the sector, we were excited to unveil the latest innovations in this fast-growing arena.
Spoilt for choice
Over 6,500 visitors attended the show and those who made a beeline for our stand had an impressive choice of 24 different flavours from Irca and Rubicone to sample - all lovingly made by our gelato experts Steve Carrigan and Jenny Spain.
Also on offer were four flavours of soft serve from Jersey Dairy and Gelato Bricks, and thickshakes made with Jersey Dairy thickshake mix and Caramanfruit purees, plus a wide range of sauces, inclusions and décor.
The big scoop
Our resident gelato master Steve Carrigan ‘scooped’ the award for ‘Best New Product’ at the event for his fabulous rhubarb and custard crumble gelato.
Steve was instrumental in working closely with Italian gelato manufacturer Rubicone to develop, not only the rhubarb flavour paste, but also the custard cremini and industry-first gluten-free crumble. All three products are exclusive to Henley Bridge and will be available to order from the end of this month (February).
Says Steve: “This award is the culmination of a two years’ hard work developing these bespoke products alongside Rubicone. Rhubarb is a classic English flavour and not something generally eaten in Italy, so perfecting it took several attempts!
“To my knowledge, there’s no other custard ripple available on the market so this is definitely an industry first.”
Crunch time
“Texture is massive this year and everything at the show was about added crunch,” continues Steve, “so our launch of Rubicone’s new range of Topping Crock (choco nut, strawberry, cookie, pistachio, wafer nut and pecan) and gluten-free crumbles (available in white, caramel, yoghurt, matcha and pistachio) was absolutely on point.
“I used the white crumble in my winning rhubarb and custard recipe, and we also exhibited a dulce de leche apple crumple recipe too, which went down an absolute storm.”
Of the 24 flavours on show, six had added ‘crunch’: cherry crunch, salted pretzel, salted popcorn, lemon meringue pie and treacle toffee with toffee pieces.
Going nuts for nut-free
Another new product launch at the show was Prova Gourmet’s range of nut-free nut flavourings, which allow customers with allergies to enjoy nut flavoured gelato without fear of a reaction.
The range is available in pistachio, hazelnut, cocoa and coconut, and is set to be a game-changer in the industry.
New beginnings
The team came away from the show feeling huge positivity for the ice cream and gelato sector.
Jenny comments: “It was our most successful show to date and we spoke to so many new customers who are opening up new ice cream parlours across the UK. We also met quite a few bakery owners who are diversifying into offering ice cream within their operations.
“ICA is the only real opportunity for our existing and new customers to taste a wide range of the products that we supply, and I think we absolutely smashed it.
“There are going to be some exciting new additions to gelato menus across the country this spring!”
