Due to the obstacles to imports, getting pistachio has become an almost impossible mission for ice cream manufacturers. Because it is an input that is produced, to a large extent, abroad, many ice cream makers have had to ration sales.
The president of the Association of Manufacturers of Artisanal and Related Ice Creams, Gabriel Famaexplained to TN.com.ar that the import of pistachio was almost completely cut at the end of last year and since the end of April they began to try to replace it with national production. Given the shortage and with the uncertainty about when the provision will be normalized, In the Federal Capital they have already begun to ration the sale, limiting it to one room per person; and in La Plata the panorama is not very different.
In At Sorbetiere explained to 0221.com.ar what “The situation is complicated”, since they import the product from Italy and in recent months “it does not arrive here or they retain it at Customs”. as told Ignacioin charge of the Commercial Area of the company, it is probable that, if it continues like this, the sale will begin to be rationed or there will be a shortage.
The merchant explained in turn that the dry fruit It is not the only input that is in short supply due to import restrictions. From cocoa to preservatives for ice cream, various products have become hard-to-find raw materials, driving up costs and restricting sales, even in the height of summer.
Although at the moment they have a sufficient stock of pistachios, at La Sorbetiere they are already preparing for the situation to worsen and in this sense, Ignacio indicated that they are not going to try to replace it with another product or artificial essences. “The quality of our ice creams brought us here and we are not going to give it up,” he concluded.
A similar situation is going through the Bailina ice cream parlor, which currently has the last batch of pistachio ice cream for sale and once it runs out, it will not be able to produce it again until they manage to import it from Italy. “We have no idea when it will re-enter,” he explained to this medium. Gaston Falabella, the company’s communication manager, and indicated that most of the ice creams they make contain imported products and in recent times they have suffered excessive increases. The lemon pie, the ferrero and the cheese cake are the flavors that require the most foreign raw materials, but although it has been difficult to obtain supplies, Falabella points out that this production is assured.
For his part, in Thionis they indicated to 0221.com.ar that they do not have supply problems since, as explained by the partner of the company Diego Tioni, they buy complete, national productions, and then process the product with their own machinery.
The traditional firm from La Plata, however, is no stranger to importing complications. “We have problems getting cocoa, cocoa butter and everything that comes from outside”Tioni explained and clarified that, for the moment, they do not have any product shortages.
In the case of the butter shop, they have not had supply problems since the pistachio comes from San Juan. It should be noted that this province is the one with the highest national production and that, in recent years, the Cuyo region tripled its production with almost 2,500 cultivated hectares. With respect to the other imported inputs, representatives of that firm reported that, so far, they have been able to obtain them, although sometimes it has been difficult for them to maintain the stock.
