New ice cream firm owners vow to preserve legacy

Parravani's was started by Giuseppe Parravani after he left a small village near Naples in Italy and headed for East Anglia 127 years ago

The new owners of an East of England ice cream company which was closed after 127 years have vowed to "preserve its legacy" despite moving it to the Midlands.

Parravani's Ice Cream, founded in Chedgrave, Norfolk, in 1898, before moving to Beccles in Suffolk in 2012, was put into liquidation last month.

Prior to officially being shut down, the brand was purchased by Best Budz, which is relocating the firm's production arm to its base in Leicester.

Director Magnus Windsor told the BBC the move would help combat the financial struggles the company battled before its closure and make it more sustainable.

"The challenges Parravani's faced were largely operational rather than product based, because the recipes and the brand have always had a strong following," he said.

"But we can now significantly reduce overheads and streamline operations and sell nationally by basing it at our existing facilities in Leicester.

"We fully intend to maintain a commercial presence in East Anglia to honour the brand's heritage and reconnect it with its loyal customer base."

A sign put up at the company's Beccles site confirmed its closure last month

Mr Windsor's company took over Parravani's on 10 October with the intention of positioning it as a national "luxury Italian-inspired desserts brand".

He said it was a classic British brand whose legacy was "worth saving".

"The goal is simply to revive a historical name and rebuild it for the modern market – our focus has always been about preserving the Parravani's legacy."

Mr Windsor hopes to do this by tapping into the more than 4,000 outlets across the country that he said Best Budz already supplies.

Parravani's ceased trading on 29 September and liquidators were appointed on 17 October

After Parravani's went bust, accountancy firm Parker Andrews said that its nine workers would have to claim redundancy from the government.

According to Mr Windsor, at least one of those team members is likely to be recruited to help "drive a local sales revival in East Anglia".

"We are very mindful of the people behind the brand," he added.

"Their experience and connection to the brand is invaluable and we want them to be part of this new chapter."

Parravani's was deemed unviable by its directors following poor sales in recent months

Before being put up for sale, Parravani's was last sold off about seven years ago.

Paul Parravani, who resigned from the company in 2017, was at the helm at the time.

He said: "We wish the new owners well and look forward to seeing Parravani's back on the road."