130 years of
Crolla's.
Four generations of one family, one recipe, and one factory in Glasgow. This is how a shop on Queen Mary Street became Crolla's Ice Cream Company.
In 1895, a young Serafino Crolla left Italy for Glasgow and opened his first shop on Queen Mary Street. It was the start of what would become one of Scotland's best known ice cream makers.
More than a century on, Crolla's still makes real Italian ice cream with fresh Scottish dairy, to a recipe passed down through four generations of the same family.
His son Giuseppe expanded the business, opening a second shop in Clydebank. After serving in the First World War, Giuseppe returned to Scotland and launched the Premier Cafe on Main Street, Bridgeton, later taking on the adjoining unit as the business grew.
By 1950, the family had built an ice cream factory of their own and put around 30 vans on the streets of Glasgow, delivering to a city that had taken Crolla's ice cream to heart.
From shop to
factory floor.
Four generations.
One family recipe.
Serafino arrives
Serafino Crolla leaves Italy for Glasgow and opens his first shop on Queen Mary Street, making ice cream by hand.
Giuseppe expands
His son Giuseppe opens a second shop in Clydebank, then, after the First World War, launches the Premier Cafe in Bridgeton.
Bridgeton grows
Premier Cafe takes on the adjoining unit as demand grows, becoming a Bridgeton landmark across two shopfronts.
The factory opens
Crolla's builds its own ice cream factory and puts around 30 vans on the streets of Glasgow.
Soaves joins Crolla's
The Soave family's Coatbridge ice cream business, trading since the early 1900s, becomes part of Crolla's.
Peter Crolla, 4th gen
Serafino's great-grandson runs the firm, supplying shops, cafes, restaurants, hotels and wholesalers across Scotland.
The Soave family story.
The Soave family came from Cassino, near Rome, and have made ice cream in Lanarkshire since 1914. Eric Soave perfected the family recipe in 1972, and in February 2023 Soave’s became part of Crolla’s, recipe intact. The whole story, and the range, is on its own page.
Stock Crolla's in your shop, cafe or hotel.
Wholesale ice cream, sauces, wafers and toppings, delivered across Scotland from our Polmadie factory. Talk to our sales team about setting up an account.
Get wholesale pricingWant to know more about our history?
We love talking about where we came from as much as what we make. Get in touch and we'll be happy to tell you more.
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