Think of gelato in Victoria and you’ll think of Pidapipo. The southern sweet favourite has amassed for itself a reputation as one of the greatest gelato brands to come out of Australia. And the person at the helm of the dessert company? Lisa Valmorbida.

After spending years in hospitality, Lisa realised that she didn’t want to be a jack of all trades, but a master of one. “I studied and trained to become a chef and was working at Donovan’s Restaurant (in St Kilda) when I realised that I wanted to specialise in something,” she explains. “They had a gelato machine at the restaurant and I became intrigued. I have an Italian background and there was a lack of good authentic gelato being made in Melbourne.”

But Lisa wanted to hone her skills with the best. And so she turned to the home of gelato for advice. “I decided to go to Italy to learn how to make gelato. I learnt at the Carpigiani Gelato University and then worked in a Gelateria in Turin called Alberto Marchetti which is one of the best in Italy.”

It was an obsession with perfecting the sweet treat that drove her on. “I knew this was the right path for me when I got to Italy and started learning how to calibrate recipes as I was looking for something that bit more challenging and calculated. I love the challenge of perfecting something so simple,” she says.

That dedication has now helped to birth a gelato empire for Lisa, with two present stores in Melbourne (one in Chapel Street and one in Windsor) and plans to expand both within and out of the state. “We would love to expand however, one step at a time,” explains Lisa. “Melbourne is where we are focusing on now.”

But to what does Lisa attribute Pidapipo’s success? Its ingredients. “A good gelato is freshly made with the best possible ingredients,” says Lisa. “It shouldn’t be too sweet and should have a smooth creamy consistency.”

It’s what she believes helps the brand to stand out from the booming dessert pack. “We make our gelato fresh daily in front of our customers from scratch using seasonal and real ingredients, which we store in pozzetti to preserve the freshness and perfect serving temperature.”