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“I’m very proud, it’s a nice recognition,” he admits. “Hard work pays off.” Augustin Arnaldo, 86 years old, with a happy smile. This year, his ice cream shop turned six decades old, and the Association of Artisan Ice Cream Makers and Related Manufacturers awarded him a special distinction in his career. In the Northern Territory, his family name is synonymous with artisanal ice cream and tradition. Behind the counter, his place in the world, Don Arnaldo remembers the origins of his family’s business. “I am a Spanish immigrant,” he says enthusiastically. “I learned everything in this country, and I am grateful that it opened its doors to me.”
Agustín Arnaldo was born in 1939 in Aldea Cuevas, a small mountain town in the municipality of Belmont de Miranda. In the heart of Asturias, Spain. As a child, he spent his childhood among cows, sheep, pigs and orchards, in a rural subsistence economy where work began at dawn. “I worked when I was very young,” he recalls. “I used to herd sheep: I took them out into the mountains and then kept them.” In 1948, when he was barely nine years old, he set off with his mother Maria for the Cape of Good Hope in Cadiz, bound for Buenos Aires. Seventeen days of transit separated him from a new life full of opportunities.
The young man who was herding sheep in the mountains of Asturias soon became a student at the Boeri y Gentile pharmacy in the San Telmo neighborhood. Later, also at Casa Villanueva dry cleaning. “In these jobs, I did cleaning tasks and tasks,” says the person who joined a company as an assistant accountant at 16 years old. Moreover, he was selling coffee in the middle of summer on the famous Punta Iglesia beach. He used every new business opportunity that came his way with great enthusiasm. However, fate had a beautiful path in store for him.
Agustín was always a natural businessman, and in 1959, he opened a small bread shop with his mother on Avenida Libertador 274, in Vicente López. At that time, the landlord who leased the building to them suggested they add selling ice cream. He listened carefully to the advice and signed up for a course on artisanal ice cream making taught at SIAM (which makes ice cream machines). There he discovered a new world that amazed him. A year later, they began offering their creations in classic flavors: Cream, Chocolate, Strawberry Lemon, and Dulce de Leche. Arnaldo remembers that the beginnings were not easy: “The location was not very commercial, because even though it was on Avenida del Libertador, the area was not crowded during the week. “We relied on people going for a walk to the river on the weekends.”,account.
In 1965, the big leap came with the opening of the first Sorrento ice cream parlor at 4690 Velez Sarsfield, in the heart of the Monroe Shopping Center. “I started out very literally making ice cream as well as delivering it. We did everything as a family: preparing, cleaning and selling. I really enjoyed seeing how people came into the shop. Being a very commercial area we had a good reception from our customers. At that time, Monroe was the second industrial center in the province of Buenos Aires, next to Avellaneda.
With word of mouth, the business began to grow and their ice cream became a symbol of the area. Years later, they moved to their current location: Vélez Sarsfield 4621, Munro. “I was very pleased to be able to buy this store,” he says. “We went from a 30-square-meter store to a two-storey, 400-square-meter store.” In the 1990s, Sorrento’s name was changed to “Arnaldo” in honor of his family name, which had already made a name for itself in the neighborhood and surrounding areas. With the success in Monroe, they continued to expand, but always in the northern region and without losing their artisanal essence. This is how the Olivos and Martinez branches arrived. They also faced challenges such as a strong fire that almost left the factory in ruins. “We rebuilt the building with our employees, friends and family and with the help of some construction workers,” he explains.
Today, at the age of 86, Agustín is still active in the field. This is its great engine. “I spent 55 years behind the Monroe store, and left after the pandemic. Now I do administrative duties.” He says. At present, the company is managed by his children Luis, Omar and Maria. Recently the third generation joined with his grandson Ignacio.
Louis, the eldest son, started working at the ice cream shop when he was young. “I started when I was 14. My family had gone to great lengths to buy their own house and we all had to cooperate. With Omar, my younger brother, we took care of preparation and customer service. And Maria from the accounting part. “My mother, Carmen, worked with us,” he says. From his childhood career, he remembers in great detail the long days during the holidays. “We worked non-stop. On December 24, we closed our doors at twelve o’clock at night, ate dinner at local tables and at two o’clock in the morning on the 25th, my father and I started making ice cream without sleeping until eight in the morning, which is when the replacement came. Meanwhile, my brothers with my mother and some employees opened the sales room at nine o’clock in the morning on the 25th. The last two weeks of the year were stressful. “And they still do today.”He admits that he continued his father’s craft and recipes. His story is full of everyday images: his mother takes his place so he can rest for a while, his brothers serve cups, and customers arrive with sweet bread under their arms. “Ice cream shops are open 365 days a year, and you rarely have a completely free day,” he added with a laugh.
It was the spirit of work, humility, respect and honesty The most valuable legacy their father instilled in them. “This recognition of the hard work my family has put in throughout their lives is beautiful. It is also a responsibility that it remains valid after 60 years. “I feel deeply grateful to our customers for choosing us all this time,” Lewis adds.
At Arnaldo’s they currently have 50 flavours. On the podium of all-time classics, the American Creme, Chocolate, Dulce de Leche, Sabione, Dulce de Leche and Lemon are unmissable. he Pistachiodulce de leche granita, mascarpone, dark chocolate and kindovo (classic Kinder egg flavour) are some of the most requested products. They also keep up with the latest trends: they recently launched Dubai Chocolate, and it was an undisputed success. “There is something to suit all tastes and the best is what every customer loves.”“, says a person who believes that good ice cream should be made from natural ingredients and the best raw materials: milk, cream, sugar, fruits, chocolate.
“What do you think is the secret to maintaining loyal customers for 60 years?” Asked. “Quality, variety, price and service,” he said without hesitation. “We work with love and respect for customers. They are the greatest capital the company has.”
Loyal customers are an essential part of this story. Many have followed them since day one and walked side by side with their parents or grandparents, and today they take their children to taste their cones. “In the neighborhood, I always meet neighbors who remember me when they were kids,” says Augustin with affection. Each location became a meeting point: there were couples sharing a quarter kilo; Children who get their first tastes of fruit in water and grandparents who maintain the ritual with their flavors from another era such as Russian crème brûlée or kumquat with whiskey.
Figures from art, sports and intellectuals also attended. From Roberto “El Polaco” Goenich; Cesar Massetti, Arnaldo Andre, Gonzalo Heredia, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Paulo Velota and singer Michael Bublé. And politicians like Jorge Macri and Gustavo Bossi.
“I am very grateful to this region because it has given me the opportunity to grow,” concludes Agustín Arnaldo with a smile, and recommends trying a cup of his favorite flavours: Dark chocolate and lemon mousse.