Kelly's of Cornwall

File:Polzeath Beach, Cornwall. Mercedes Sprinter Kellys Ice Cream Van (14535453175).jpg parked at Polzeath in 2012]]

The company was established as an ice cream and fish and chips business by Joseph Staffieri in the late 19th century after he migrated from Italy to St Austell. His son-in-law, Lazero Calicchia took over the business in 1918, using a horse and cart to distribute ice cream around Cornwall.{{cite news|url=http://www.westbriton.co.uk/key-kelly-s-s-true-say-ice-cream-veins/story-28561319-detail/story.html|title=Key to Kelly's: It's true to say ice cream is in my veins|work=Cornish Guardian|date=20 January 2016|access-date=18 August 2016}}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The mobile business operated with vans regularly travelling to beaches and landmarks around the county.{{cite journal|url=http://www.cornwalllife.co.uk/food-drink-cornwall/kellys-ice-cream-cornwall/|title=Kelly's Cornish Ice Cream|journal=Cornwall Life|access-date=18 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629072522/http://www.cornwalllife.co.uk/food-drink-cornwall/kellys-ice-cream-cornwall/|archive-date=29 June 2016|url-status=dead}} The family name was changed to Kelly (with the company name following suit) in the 1930s, moving to Bodmin in the 1970s. The ice cream became popular at agricultural shows and has been a fixture at the Royal Cornwall Show since 1947.

The ice cream has been produced from milk and clotted cream farmed and pasteurised from a nearby dairy farm at Trewithen.

Having become a popular ice cream in Cornwall, R&R Ice Cream (now Froneri) announced a buyout of the company in 2008 to enable the product to be distributed nationally. The merger was completed in 2010{{cite news |url=http://www.westbriton.co.uk/kelly-s-owner-announces-163-2-5m-nationwide-campaign/story-11520910-detail/story.html |title=Kelly's US owner announces £2.5m nationwide campaign |work=West Briton |date=3 June 2010 |access-date=13 August 2016 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and allowed the product to be stocked in national supermarkets such as Tesco,{{cite web|url=http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=252335569|title=Kelly's Vanilla Cornish Dairy Ice Cream|work=Tesco|access-date=13 August 2016}} though the company still tightly controls who is allowed to sell the ice cream.{{cite news|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/news/town-screams-for-proms-ice-39940/|title=Family-run Prom Cafe just off Gordon Promenade happy to be summer tradition in Gravesend|work=Kent Online|date=10 July 2015|access-date=15 August 2016}} Kelly's continue to run the ice cream van fleet independently of R&R. As part of the takeover, they have invested more in various "scooping parlours" that sell ice cream over the counter around Cornwall, including refurbishment of the buildings. As of 2016 Kelly's had at least 49 parlours spread across the county.{{cite web|url=http://www.kellysofcornwall.co.uk/ice-cream-parlour-map-2/%E2%80%8E|title=Ice Cream Parlour Map 2 – Kelly's of Cornwall|access-date=18 August 2016}}

From June 2013 to June 2014, Kelly's produced around 14.5 million litres (3.2m imp gal; 3.8m US gal) of their clotted ice cream. The same year, the company announced it was the sixth largest ice cream manufacturer in Britain.{{cite news|url=http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/ice-cream-firm-doubles-production-years-britain/story-21289423-detail/story.html|title=Ice cream firm doubles production in five years – enough to give everyone in Britain two scoops each|work=Western Morning News|date=25 June 2014|access-date=13 August 2016}} After a projected record sales of £23 million forecast for 2016, the company announced it would invest £2 million at its Bodmin factory, on the Walker Lines Industrial Estate, in order to increase output.{{cite news|url=https://www.businesscornwall.co.uk/news-by-industry/manufacturing-in-cornwall/2016/06/2m-kellys-investment/|title=£2M Kelly's investment|work=Business Insider|date=28 June 2016|access-date=13 August 2016}}

In 2021, the packaging was rebranded and the range of ice cream expanded to include new chocolate and raspberry ripple flavours. Kelly's also announced they would sponsor the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.{{cite news|url=https://www.retailtimes.co.uk/kellys-of-cornwall-launches-two-new-decadent-flavours-to-coincide-with-first-brand-refresh-in-five-years/|title=Kelly's of Cornwall launches two new decadent flavours to coincide with first brand refresh in five years|work=Retail Times|date=5 March 2021|accessdate=June 11, 2021|archive-date=11 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611131342/https://www.retailtimes.co.uk/kellys-of-cornwall-launches-two-new-decadent-flavours-to-coincide-with-first-brand-refresh-in-five-years/|url-status=dead}}

{{quotebox|quote="Yma res nowydh kavadow a Kelly's Cornish ice cream hag yw as tasty as."
("There's a new range of Kelly's Cornish ice cream available that is as tasty as.")|source=Opening line of the Cornish speaker in the 2016 TV advert}}

The company is a strong supporter of the Cornish language. In May 2016 it invested £2 million with the advertising agency Isobel for a prominent television and online advertising campaign.{{cite news|url=http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/isobel-wins-kellys-cornwall-ad-account/1380680#|title=Isobel wins Kelly's of Cornwall ad account|work=Campaign Live|date=25 January 2016|access-date=13 August 2016}} The advert was the first shown on national British television to make use of Cornish, featuring a man attempting to sell ice cream in a field of cows at Millbrook.{{cite news|url=http://www.cornishguardian.co.uk/kelly-s-cornwall-urged-ice-cream-profits-council/story-29370411-detail/story.html|title=Kelly's of Cornwall urged to give ice cream profits to council|work=Cornish Guardian|date=7 June 2016|access-date=13 August 2016}}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} It was shown on prime time television, including breaks in Britain's Got Talent.{{cite news|url=http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2016-05-20/cornish-language-ice-cream-advert-first-in-the-uk/|title=Cornish language ice cream advert first in the UK|work=itv.com|date=20 May 2016|access-date=13 August 2016}}

After central Government funding for the Cornish language ceased in 2016, company representatives protested outside the Houses of Parliament.{{cite news|url=https://www.businesscornwall.co.uk/news-by-industry/public-sector-news-categories/2016/05/royal-backing-for-the-cornish-language/|title=World's first Cornish Language TV advert|work=Business Cornwall|date=19 May 2016|access-date=13 August 2016}} Following the advert's success, councillors in Cornwall hoped that the company's profits could be re-invested into local schemes helping to revive the language. The Cornish Language Partnership's Mark Trevethan said that while the adverts were entertaining, they made a serious point about the importance of language and the celebration of local culture.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/may/20/first-cornish-tv-ad-to-air-weeks-after-language-funding-is-axed|title=First Cornish TV ad to air weeks after language funding is axed|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Mark|last=Sweeney|date=20 May 2016|access-date=13 August 2016}}

{{Portal|Cornwall|Companies}}

• List of ice cream brands

{{reflist|30em}}

• [https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2016/jun/20/let-languages-shout-out-your-business-benefits Let languages shout out your business benefits] – article in The Guardian discussing the benefits of minority languages

• {{official website|www.kellysofcornwall.co.uk}}
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0usmMfs5IY Video of the 2016 advert]

{{portalbar|Companies|England|Food}}

Category:Ice cream brands

Category:Companies based in Cornwall

Category:Cornish language revival

Category:Bodmin

Category:Froneri