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More than 50 million Americans have an allergy of some kind. At FRÍO Gelato, we believe our product should be for everyone, so we make the best quality allergy-friendly products we can.  While any food can cause an adverse reaction, there are 8 top food types identified by the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) that account for about 90% of all reactions and are the ingredients most frequently asked about by our customers.  FRÍO Gelato purchases gluten-free and nut-free products and does not include any non-FALCPA regulated allergens such as sesame and mustard.  We also employe procedures in the kitchen and retail stores to limit cross-contamination, but, we are not certified as an allergen-free company.  

OUR ALLERGY-FRIENDLY KITCHEN

  • WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GELATO AND ICE CREAM?
    Gelato has less fat, less air, and is served at a slightly warmer temperature than ice cream. All of this leads to gelato being more rich than ice cream—there is less fat to coat one’s tongue so the flavors come through stronger than they do in ice cream. We make sure our gelato is properly massaged to be at the correct serving temperature for optimal mouth feel, flavor and experience.
  • WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARGENTINE AND ITALIAN GELATO?
    Argentina had many Italian immigrants who came to the country at the end of the 1800s. They brought their knowledge of gelato production from Italy and, together with the local Argentine dairy industry, created Argentine gelato. Argentine gelato is comprised of different and unique flavors to its Italian counterpart and is served in a special “swirl.” Here is a little bit of the history of Argentine gelato.
  • WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS IN YOUR GELATO/SORBET?
    Please find our list of ingredients here.
  • HOW CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT NUTS AND OTHER ALLERGENS IN YOUR GELATO?
    Please find our allergy statement here.
  • IS YOUR GELATO/SORBET VEGAN?
    The majority of our non-dairy sorbets are made with sugar beet or pure cane sugar, that sometimes are processed, filtered, and bleached with bone char. It is important to note that these types of sugars do not actually CONTAIN bone char, but because it is part of the process, many vegans may choose not to eat this kind of sugar. Our gelatos are made with homogenized cow milk and are not considered vegan. We are now offering one vegan, non-dairy flavor: VEGAN Lemon Sorbet, made with bone char-free pure sugar cane. You asked, we listened!
  • DOES YOUR GELATO/SORBET CONTAIN HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP?
    None of our gelato/sorbets do not contain high fructose corn syrup.
  • DO YOU DELIVER?
    FRIO Gelato delivers locally through GrubHub and nationwide through our website.
  • CAN CHILDREN EAT THE GELATO THAT HAS ALCOHOL IN IT? WHAT IS THE ALCOHOL CONTENT OF FRÍO FLAVORS?
    We have several flavors that are made with real alcohol beverages such as wine, vodka, rum, and bourbon, however any alcohol content is burned off during our pasteurization process.. Therefore, there is no alcohol in any of our flavors to get a person (of any body mass) feeling its effects.
  • WHAT ARE FRÍO’S MOST ARGENTINE FLAVORS?
    DULCE DE LECHE Argentine milk caramel. This is a very typical flavor in Argentina—many DDL variations can be found there. We get our dulce de leche imported from Argentina to make our gelato. Whereas normal caramel is made by cooking sugar and water, DDL is made by cooking sweetened condensed milk (from the local Argentine industry). TRAMONTANA Cream flavored gelato with chocolate chips and streaked with DDL. MALBEC WINE WITH BERRIES Berries (blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, & strawberry) macerated in Malbec (typical Argentine red wine). The Malbec grape is originally from Argentina. SAMBAYÓN Egg Custard with Marsala Wine. Other Argentine gelato producers make this flavor with other sweet wines such as Port—we use Marsala wine. YERBA MATE “Yerba Mate” is a tea that is drunk out of a gourd in Argentina. Many times, the tea is drunk communally—it is passed around and shared by those at a social gathering (everybody sips out of the same metal straw). It is a medicinal tea that many Argentineans drink every day. Although this flavor of gelato is not common in Argentina, FRÍO has made a flavor out of this traditional Argentine drink. PALTA Avocado made with fresh avocados. Seasonal (Summer). No artificial flavor or color. This flavor was featured in Chicago Magazine. LIMONAZO FRÍO’s version of limoncello. Made with real lemon juice and a small amount of vodka. MEMBRILLO Quince. Argentina is a top producer of the quince fruit. On the outside, this fruit is very similar to a yellow pear. On the inside, it is like an apple, however when cooked, it turns red. Quince cannot be eaten raw as it is too bitter. Many Argentineans eat desserts made from quince. A typical Argentine dessert is quince with cheese.
  • SOME OF YOUR FLAVORS HAVE VODKA, WHISKEY OR BOURBON AS INGREDIENTS WHICH ARE MADE FROM WHEAT, BARLEY AND RYE. HOW CAN THIS BE IF YOUR PRODUCTS ARE GLUTEN-FREE?"
    According to the National Institutes of Health's Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign, distilled alcohol is inherently gluten-free. This includes gin, vodka, scotch whisky, and rye whiskey. Although whiskeys are derived from wheat, barley, or rye, the distilling process removes the gluten proteins.
  • DO ANY OF YOUR GELATOS/SORBETS HAVE EGG IN THEM?
    While many frozen dessert manufacturers use eggs in their recipes, only two FRÍO Gelato flavors contain eggs: sambayón (egg custard and marsala wine) and any chocolate-based gelatos (our chocolate sorbet does not contain eggs!). All other gelato flavors are egg-free and none of the sorbets contain egg.

AT FRÍO GELATO

OUR KITCHEN AND RETAIL STORE PROCEDURES 

ARE AS FOLLOWS:

                       PRODUCTION KITCHEN

The machines are sanitized before and after each run-through with bleach and other special "milkstone remover" by Stera Sheen, which is required by the State of IL health code to get rid of any dairy or egg residue.  While this procedure is for bacterial issues, it also serves the purposes for cleaning allergens.  Additionally, milk-based gelato is made separately from the water-based sorbet - not in the same run-through and no waffle bowls or cones are made at the production kitchen.

 

                             RETAIL STORES

Employees are trained and required to use hand sanitizer before serving any gelato/sorbet with every new customer, and after handling money!  Each gelato / sorbet tray has its own serving spatula so there is minimal cross-contamination there. Dairy-based gelato is kept in a separate freezer from dairy-free sorbet. In addition, we comply with the State of IL Health Department sanitation requirements.
 

argentine
artisanal
allergy friendly
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