The start of any year is always a strange one at Antonelli. It’s our busiest period, where weeks of preparation, travel and trend-spotting all bottleneck into an intense (but exciting) fortnight. We begin with SIGEP.
Held annually in Rimini at the vast Rimini Exhibition Centre, SIGEP is the largest exhibition in the world dedicated to gelato, pastry, chocolate, coffee and bakery. With over 1,300 exhibitors from more than 160 countries, we get an exclusive sneak preview at products, not just from our exclusive partners Comprital & Martini but also other trends from all of the other businesses in our industry.
Why SIGEP Matters To Us
For us, visiting SIGEP isn’t just about seeing what’s new. It’s about understanding what’s next. Because brands like Comprital and Martini launch products for the global market, not just the UK. That means we can preview international trends months (sometimes years) before they reach British menus.
It also means we can filter what’s relevant for our customers – because not every product or global trend translates to our customer base in the UK.
Two Stands, Two Experiences
If you visited SIGEP with us, you’d likely find the Antonelli team split across the Comprital and Martini stand – each offering a different kind of inspiration.
Comprital Stand
Comprital featured:
- Six gelato cabinets
- A dedicated semifreddo display
- Soft serve and frozen yoghurt bar
Stand-out ranges included:
Guibileo Range
A clean-label collection unprocessed semi-finished products. Favourites included:
- Liquorice & mascarpone gelato
- Amaretto stracciatella
Variegato Excellence Cabinet
This showcased the new Dubai ripples – cream-based variegates with kataifi inclusions. Flavours included:
- Classic Pistachio
- Salted caramel
- Vegan hazelnut & chocolate
La Preferita Nut Collection
One cabinet focused purely on nut pastes (pistachio, hazelnut, walnut, almond), while another demonstrated flavour pairings such as:
- Nougat & mandarin
- Gianduia & cherry
Martini Stand Highlights
Martini’s stand leaned heavily into innovation across gelato, pastry and semifreddo applications, with seven gelato cabinets plus a soft-serve station.
Key highlights:
Plant-Based Orasi Range: The plant-based ambient gelato mix line – this had great combinations of flavours and ripples including a lemon and ginger biscuit.
Cremini Cabinet
Featuring the full Brunella and Brunella Crok ranges, including:
- New Brunella Cherry
- Ever-popular Brunella Bianca
Fruit Innovations
New fruit flavours presented as sorbets included:
- Amarena cherry
- Blueberry
- Green apple
Nut Developments
- A new pecan paste
- a half-pistachio, half-almond blend (which, impressively, still delivered a dominant pistachio flavour).
Key Trends Emerging from SIGEP 2026
Across both stands and the wider show floor, several clear industry directions emerged:
- Clean label demand is accelerating
Transparency and ingredient simplicity are becoming expected. - Nuts remain popular
Pistachio continues to dominate, but pecan and blended nut bases are rising fast. - Texture is the new flavour
Inclusions like kataifi, crok pieces and layered ripples are driving customer excitement. - Plant-based is evolving
The shift isn’t just about dairy-free anymore – it’s about premium taste parity.
Why We Go (So You Don’t Have To)
With over 180,000 visitors attending on average, SIGEP is busy, fast-paced and packed with innovation. But its real value lies in insight.
We attend so we can:
- Identify trends early
- Test products first-hand
- Assess what works for UK businesses
- Bring back only the most relevant ideas and share these with you at the ICA show.
Because while global launches are exciting, the real question is always: Will this work for our customers?
And that’s exactly what we’re there to find out.