Collection: Ice Cream & Gelato Makers

Commercial ice cream and gelato makers cover the working span from countertop batch freezers to floor-mounted production lines. Hospitality Connect stocks gelato batch freezers and soft-serve machines from Carpigiani, Bras, Taylor and Anvil — across 1L bench batch makers, 5–10L production batch freezers and twin-flavour soft-serve countertops.

Types of ice cream and gelato makers

• Bench batch freezers (1–4L): Compressor-driven self-cooling units for cafe and small gelateria use; produce 4–6 batches per hour.
• Production batch freezers (5–15L): Floor-mounted vertical batch machines for gelaterias and ice cream makers; cylindrical chamber, 8–12 batches per shift.
• Soft-serve countertops: Single- or twin-flavour, gravity-feed; the standard for cafes, kiosks and quick-service.
• Floor-standing soft-serve: High-volume soft-serve and frozen yogurt machines for ice cream shops and dessert bars.
• Pasteuriser and ageing combos: Multi-stage units that pasteurise, age and freeze gelato base — production-scale.

Sizing for your venue

Match capacity to peak service. A 1L batch maker covers a cafe with 30–50 daily ice cream sales; 5L production for a gelateria pushing 200+ scoops per day; soft-serve countertop pumps roughly 35–60 cones per hour per spout. Confirm overrun rate (the air added during freezing) — gelato traditionally runs 25–35% overrun for dense texture; commercial soft-serve runs 50–80%. Bigger overrun = more cone-hours per kg of base.

Range highlights and operating notes

• Power: Bench units run 10–15A 240V; production batch freezers and floor soft-serve typically need 20A or three-phase.
• Water-cooled vs air-cooled: Water-cooled handles AU summer heat better in tight venues; air-cooled is simpler to install.
• Cleaning frequency: Daily strip-and-sanitise on dairy products is the AU food-safety standard.
• Drainage: Floor soft-serve machines need a drain tray with floor-waste connection.
• Ambient effects: Machines run hotter in 30°C+ kitchens; clearances at 100–150mm minimum.

Specifier checklist for a gelato or soft-serve setup: pasteurisation requirement (some councils require pasteurised base; check local rules), water-cooled vs air-cooled compressor (water-cooled handles AU summer better in tight venues), three-phase or single-phase supply, and daily clean-down protocol time. Most modern machines run a CIP (clean-in-place) cycle that takes 30–45 minutes daily; budget the staff time. Stock spare scraper blades and gaskets — they wear and need replacing every 6–12 months. Schedule a service technician visit annually for compressor refrigerant check and electronic calibration. Lead-time note: gelato production batch freezers and floor soft-serve are typically a 6–10 week lead time from order to commissioning, including refrigerant gas charging on site. Don't promise a launch date until you have machine ETA confirmed in writing from the importer.

Pair with

Build a complete dessert program with gelato display cabinets, blenders for milkshake work and commercial blast chiller for shock-freezing experimental flavours.

Why buy ice cream and gelato makers from Hospitality Connect

• Curated for Australian commercial kitchens: Every line is selected against the realities of AU service — voltage, room dimensions, council rules, ambient temperatures.
• Brand-direct relationships: We deal directly with manufacturers and importers, so you get current models and the right parts when you need them.
• Field-tested specs: Sizes, gauges and capacities listed on each product reflect what actually works in service, not glossy brochure numbers.
• Tech support that picks up: Pre and post-sale phone lines staffed by people who know commercial kitchens.
• Warranty handled here: We process the claim with the manufacturer; you keep cooking.

Ice cream and gelato makers care and longevity

• Inspect door gaskets fortnightly: A torn or compressed gasket forces the compressor to overrun and triples the energy bill.
• Clean condenser coils: Vacuum the front grille every two weeks. Greasy kitchens block coils within days and trip high-temp alarms.
• Don't block return-air paths: Stacked product against the back wall starves the evaporator and warms the load.
• Run a defrost cycle on schedule: Manual-defrost units need a planned cycle; auto-defrost still benefits from a quarterly deep service.
• Verify temperature with a calibrated probe: Onboard displays drift; check actual product core with a Hanna or Testo probe weekly.
• Plug into a dedicated circuit: Sharing a circuit with a dishwasher or induction hob causes nuisance trips and compressor wear.

Need help choosing? Talk to us

Our commercial chefs and fit-out specialists can match the right ice cream and gelato makers to your menu, footprint and operating budget. Send through your floor plan, service brief or trading hours, or call our Australia-based trade line for a same-day spec quote — we'll line up sizes, brands, voltage and gas requirements, lead times and freight rates before you commit. If you're fitting out a new venue or refurbishing an existing one, ask about multi-line trade pricing and consolidated delivery so the kit lands when the trades do, not weeks later.