A family run ice cream business in Swanage, Dorset, has just scooped up a national award for its chocolate gelato, as it prepares to celebrate 100 years in business.
Fortes Gelataria has been a fixture in Swanage since 1926, when Italian Alfonso Forte opened his first shop on the seafront, and a century later, the business remains in family hands, still producing handmade gelato using recipes passed down through generations.
Fortes Gelataria, launching their centenary year with award winning ice cream
Liked the town so much, he stayed
Now, as Fortes’ centenary approaches, the company has added another accolade to its long list of achievements, winning the trophy for Best Chocolate Ice Cream at the 2026 Golden Scoop awards.
Today, the company is run by third generation owners Ricky and Hannah Forte, who have continued the tradition while also embracing modern tastes and techniques.
The story of Fortes began in the 1900s, when Alfonso Forte travelled from the Italian region of Lazio to the UK, first settling in Belfast where he met his future wife, Adelina Mezza.
While on a trip to Bournemouth he visited Swanage by paddle steamer and liked the town so much that he stayed, opening the first Fortes of Swanage, an Italian coffee shop, at 21 Station Road, quickly followed by the ice creamery at 9 Shore Road.
Alfonso Forte, pictured in the 1950s, set up the family’s gelato business in Swanage in 1926
“It sounds like a dream job”
Ricky Forte said:
“I am the third generation of the family to run the business, though I don’t have many memories of my grandfather as I was very young when he died.
“But my father, Giulio, took over the business in the early 1960s, running it alongside his brothers. I started helping out in the family business when I was about 11 years old and started making ice cream from 14.
“It sounds like a dream job, and in many ways it was, but it’s also hard work. You learn everything from the ground up.
“I’m really proud that our family is still running the business in Swanage after 100 years, especially when a lot of businesses come and go so quickly these days.”
Ricky Forte is the third generation of his family to run the business in its 100 years in Swanage
“Thrilled to be recognised”
Ricky added:
“We make all of our ice cream on site from our own recipes, and we source a lot of the ingredients from Italy to give it an authentic taste.
“We are thrilled to be recognised by the Golden Scoop awards in our centenary year – maintaining our family tradition while continuing to innovate has always been at the heart of what we do.
“We have won some big awards over the years, including the prestigious Dairy Ice Cream Robert Equi Cup at the National Ice Cream competition in 2019.
“I got a silver trophy, which I could keep for a year, but when it arrived in a crate, it came with a note saying that I had to insure it for £6,500!
“We also won a Great Taste award for our pistachio gelato in 2017, placing us among the top artisan producers in the country, so with chocolate and vanilla, those are the big three. I can retire now – my work is done!”
The Fortes shop in Institute Road makes all its gelato and sorbet in a dedicated production kitchen on site
New flavour experiences
A key part of Fortes’ success lies in its commitment to producing everything on site.
All gelato and sorbet it sells are handcrafted in a dedicated production kitchen at its premises in The Mowlem building in Swanage, where it has been serving satisfied customers since 1997.
The business puts it award winning taste down to a combination of long standing family recipes and carefully sourced ingredients, be that local Dorset milk or pistachio paste from Italy.
Hannah makes sure that the company stays on trend with its flavours, expanding a traditional range to add new flavour experiences, like mango and raspberry, coconut and passionfruit, strawberry shortcake, banoffee and even jaffa cake.
Ricky Forte collects a Golden Scoop award at a national competition held at The Belfry near Birmingham
“Salted caramel still a favourite”
Hannah Forte said:
“We do like to keep up with the current trends, although the classics will never go out of fashion – vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, coffee and rum and raisin – all the originals.
“But I think the flavour of the season might be pistachio and amarena, or anything with amarena cherries really, they have such a lovely taste!
“Biscoff has become very popular recently, and salted caramel still continues to be a favourite with a lot of people, but it is everywhere now, so it is nice to try something a bit different.
“Unlike many businesses, we don’t wholesale our products, we choose to focus on quality and the customer experience at our shop. It’s all about quality and consistency. If you get that right, everything else follows.”
Giulio Forte, Ricky’s father, pictured on Shore Road, Swanage, in the late 1940s
“A benchmark flavour”
A spokesperson for the Ice Cream Alliance, which runs the Golden Scoop awards, said:
“We’d like to congratulate Fortes on winning its award and for completing 100 years as a family run business in Swanage. The Forte family can be very proud of its long history of making the finest gelato.
“Chocolate ice cream is a benchmark flavour, rich, indulgent, and universally loved, where quality and craftsmanship shine through, and this very keenly contested class recognises the very best in taste.
“The Ice Cream Alliance has more than 80 years of history itself, and the Golden Scoops awards is one of the most respected events in the ice cream calendar.
“Judging is rigorous, and the competition celebrates the highest standards of quality, craftsmanship and innovation across the industry.
“From small artisan makers to large scale producers, our goal has always been to help businesses thrive and to bring more people into this vibrant trade.”
Forte’s Ice Cream shop used to be on Shore Road, Swanage, until it moved to The Mowlem building in 1997
Fortes shop today, ready for a new season of selling award winning ice cream
Further information
- Explore some of the Fortes flavours on its Instagram page
