Popular dessert brand Gelato Messina is coming to Hobart, opening its first Tasmanian store on the city’s waterfront.
The gelato chain has confirmed it will move into the former Billy’s Burgers shopfront at the redeveloped Elizabeth Street Pier.
Plans lodged with the Hobart City Council show the fit-out is valued at about $473,000.
A store spokesperson said the aim was to open in September, if construction stays on schedule.
Gelato Messina started in 2002, when founder Nick Palumbo opened a single store in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst with 20 flavours.
It has since grown into one of Australia’s best-known gelato makers, with dozens of stores across the country and several overseas.
The Hobart launch will feature a special gelato created with Shadow Baking, a venture from two of Messina’s head chefs, Tom Mitchell and Florian Fritsch.
The pair started Shadow Baking as a side project during the COVID pandemic, after experimenting in Messina’s kitchens.
The spokesperson said the concept blends a classic Australian bakery with French patisserie, using high-quality ingredients and making everything from scratch.
Messina is known for churning 40 fresh flavours a day, made up of 35 regulars and five weekly specials.
The company also runs its own Jersey dairy farm, hazelnut farm and chocolate-making operation and makes its own dulce de leche.
The store forms part of the broader redevelopment of Elizabeth Street Pier, which will include a new 98-room hotel, along with other restaurants and retailers.
