Popular Flavors at IceGeX 2025

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the
1st International Ice Cream and Gelato Expo

Best ice cream and gelato flavors at the 1st International Ice Cream and Gelato Expo 

Popular Flavors at IceGeX 2025

October 24 to 26, 2025. Manila. In case you missed it, World Trade Center marked a sweet-milestone, organized by Haliburton, the very first International Ice Cream and Gelato Expo (IceGeX) in the Philippines. With the theme "Scoop into the Future of Ice Cream and Gelato: Trends, Innovation Technology in the Frozen Dessert Industry", the expo brought together local and foreign manufacturers, chefs, suppliers, dessert entrepreneurs and artisan makers for the three days of flavor-fest, business networking, and creative exploration.

Among the local and international brands who participated in the 1st International Ice Cream and Gelato Expo held at the World Trade Center. In likely manner, we congratulate all the brands, dessert experts and chefs who participated in the event. They've offered classic and innovative flavors, as well as live demonstrations of food pairing, recipes and business concepts that we might one day put into plan and create our own frozen products or services. 

Here’s a full roundup of the highlights from Foodamn Philippines — from classic to crazy-innovative flavors, live demos, pairing recipes, and what the business side of frozen desserts looks like today.

Highlights ICEGEX and best flavors to watch out:

• Innovative Solutions Inc. - Ternatea Coconut Ice Cream, Turmeric Acai Yogurt Soft Serve. The same group that supplies Blue Rock (Papa Diddi's, Kalye)

  

  Guyabano Ice Cream and Ternatea Coconut Ice Cream
  
  

• Essenza Gelato - the best and original Pistachio gelato, Other notable gelato flavors are vegan, calamansi, and mango. 

  

  Essenza with Chef Fabio
  
  

• Marcelo's Microcreamery artisanal ice cream - highlight Filipino tastes like Inutak, Latik Latik, Ube Macapuno Champorado, Bilo-bilo, Manga't Suman. Highlights of the booth is the collab work with Chef Nouel Catis, the innovator behind the viral Dubai chocolate recipe for Fix Dessert Chocolatier. For Marcelo's, you must try the Pistachio Kunafa Chocolate and Ube Baklava. 

• 

  with Chef Nouel Catis

  
  
• PhilCoA's Ice Cream Coconut topped with tablea or coconut cheese
• Araro's ChocNut ice cream, Tablea - the popular brand in Salcedo market. 
• Barista Queen 
• Sebastian's 
• Chef Boy Logro's deck with Easy Pro 

  

  with Chef Boy Logro

  
  
• Chef Myke Tatung's Heritage Halo-halo Re-imagined 

  

  with Chef Myke Tatung

  
  
• Family's Choice Artisanal - Espresso Swirl and Tablea Gelato won in the Coffee category and Unique Filipino Flavor. 

  

  Family's Choice Artisanal

  
  
• Selecta Scoop O'clock every 3:00 PM 
• Sorbetes Ice Cream Competition 

Notable stand-outs

• Vanilla Bean & Madagascar Vanilla: Several artisanal gelato makers showcased ultra-pure vanilla, letting the subtle aroma and cream-base shine.

• Dark Chocolate Intense (70%+) Gelato: One exhibitor offered gelato with a rich cocoa hit, minimal sugar, emphasising bean-to-bar origin.

• Fresh Strawberry & Filipino Mango (Carabao Mango) Ice Cream: A local twist on a classic: ripe mango churned into a smooth ice cream base, and strawberry still held appeal among traditionalists.

These flavors serve as reliable pillars for any ice-cream business: customers know them, they’re comfortable, and they’re a strong launching pad for innovation.

Innovative and Trend-ForwardFlavors

What brought buzz at the expo were the unexpected flavour pairings, ingredient mash-ups and local-twist creations. Here are some of the most talked-about:

• Ube & Cheese Swirl Gelato: Combining the Filipino purple yam (ube) with savory cheese swirls made for a combo of sweet-earthy + mild saltiness,  a modern local-flavor hero.

• Matcha & Black Sesame Gelato: A Japanese influence: the bitterness of matcha tempered by nutty black sesame; visually striking and very photogenic.

• Yuzu & Lychee Ice Cream: A citrus-fruity hybrid offering crisp, light acidity with tropical softness — ideal for warm-weather dessert seekers.

• Salted Caramel with Crispy Rice & Popped Quinoa: Textural innovation meeting flavor depth,  one of the few booths emphasising crunch in frozen desserts.

• Plant-Based Coconut & Jackfruit “Gelato”: With vegan/dairy-free demands rising, one exhibitor showcased a creamy coconut-milk base churned with native jackfruit, showing how inclusivity meets tradition.

These inventive flavors highlight how the frozen-dessert industry is not only chasing taste but also experience, texture, story and local identity.

Live Demonstrations & Food-Pairing Recipes

• Live demo entitled “Heritage Halo-Halo Reimagined” by Chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou re-interpreted the iconic Filipino halo-halo, transforming it into artisanal coffee-flavored halo-halo as coffee flavored halo-halo. With his recipe hack for regional-style halo-halo using sculpted frozen milk blocks.

  

  Chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou
  
  

• Live demo by Chef Pablo "Boy" Logro highlighting the "Taste and Twist: Ice Cream Pairings. The short demo full of wit and laughs shared his recipe hacks for Crépes Suzette with Sauvignon Sauce and How to Make Spun Sugar Nest.

  

  Chef Pablo "Boy" Logro

  
  
• From the Department of Agriculture, tropical flavors that are turned into frozen treats by Mr. Evan Titus Paul L. Labrador of the Philippine Coconut Authority took the stage discussion on how products made from coconuts, like coconut milk, cream, sugar, and oil, are transforming the ice cream market. 
• Tropical flavors that are turned into frozen treats! At the 1st International Ice Cream and Gelato Expo in the Philippines, Mr. Evan Titus Paul L. Labrador of the Philippine Coconut Authority takes the stage to discuss how products made from coconuts, like coconut milk, cream, sugar, and oil, are revolutionizing the ice cream industry. It highlighted the coconut's versatility such as the functional, nutritional, and sensory advantages of utilizing coconuts in frozen treats. It aims to discover how to promote Filipino agricultural excellence while enhancing flavor, texture, and health appeal through local innovation and sustainable coconut farming. 

• 

  Ice Cream Coconut (Philcoa)

• “Ice-Cream Pairings with Pastries”: A demo by pastry chef Emily Peralta showed how to match a vanilla-bean gelato with warm almond croissant, and how a tangy sorbet can cut through a rich chocolate tart.
• Recipe Spotlight: DIY Affogato Bar: Using a strong espresso shot and a scoop of salted-caramel gelato, attendees were encouraged to build their own “adult dessert” version with toasted hazelnuts and sea-salt flakes.
• Live Gelato Production Demo: Equipment suppliers and artisans demonstrated how to churn a fresh batch of gelato in minutes, discussing the importance of over-run, freezing curves and flavour infusion.

These demos did more than entertain, they gave practical take-aways for business owners (menu revision, pairing ideas) and for dessert fans wanting to replicate at home.

Business Concepts & Trends in the Frozen-Dessert Industry

Key business insights:

• Franchise & Retail Expansion: Many booths advertised franchise opportunities, ready-to-go gelato kiosks and turnkey ice-cream shops. The message: frozen desserts remain a strong impulse purchase, especially in malls and lifestyle destinations.

• Technology & Digital Ordering: One seminar, “The Smart Scoop: Technology, Personalisation, and the Digital Future of Ice Cream”, discussed how digital menu boards, app ordering and loyalty programmes are becoming part of the business model.

• Ingredient & Supply-Chain Innovation: From plant-based bases to premium dairy blends, exhibitors stressed how ingredient sourcing (quality, traceability) and packaging (sustainability, convenience) are part of the next-gen business.

• Experience-Driven Concepts: Many dessert bars are transitioning to experiential offerings, like build-your-own ice-cream sandwiches, artisanal gelato flights, and pairing menus with coffee or craft beer. The expo echoed that sweet shops are no longer just counters but destinations.

• Local Identity + Global Appeal: For Philippine operators, the message was clear,  incorporate local flavours (ube, mango, calamansi) to stand out, but ensure global standards (hygiene, consistency, equipment) to scale and export.

Top 5 Flavours to Watch & Why They Matter

Here are five standout flavour concepts from the expo, and what makes them worth keeping an eye on if you’re in the business of frozen desserts.

Flavour	Why It Stands Out
Ube & Cheese Gelato	Combines strong local identity (ube) with a savory element (cheese),  creates a novel but still accessible taste.
Matcha & Black Sesame Gelato	Elegant flavor profile, Instagram-friendly, appeals to premium segment and “discoverable” desserts.
Yuzu & Lychee Ice Cream	Bright, tropical and acidic, offers a refreshing alternative to heavy dairy-based flavors; suits warmer climate.
Salted Caramel with Popped Quinoa	Combines indulgence with texture and health-adjacency (quinoa), hits multiple consumer trends.
Coconut & Jackfruit Plant-Based “Gelato”	Reflects rising plant-based demand + local fruit usage; sets stage for vegan/alternative dessert markets.

Takeaways for Dessert Entrepreneurs in the Philippines

• Know your fundamentals: Have your vanilla, chocolate and strawberry versions dialed in, they anchor your menu while you experiment.

• Be bold but strategic: Introduce one or two innovative flavours (from the list above) per season to keep interest high without overwhelming customers.

• Pairings matter: Whether it’s ice-cream with pastry, or gelato with coffee, adding pairing suggestions can elevate your offering and justify premium pricing.

• Leverage local ingredients: Filipino fruits, roots and flavours are a differentiator both domestically and for export; use them purposefully.

• Stay tech-savvy & experience-focused: Mobile ordering, loyalty programmes, interactive counters and Instagram-worthy presentation all contribute to modern dessert business success.

• Sustainability = brand value: From plant-based bases to packaging, consumers (and buyers) increasingly expect more than just taste.

• Networking matters: Events like ICEGEX show that frozen dessert is not just about flavor,  it’s supply chain, equipment, business models, export possibilities.

Final Scoop

For dessert lovers, aspiring entrepreneurs and flavor-forward thinkers alike, the first ICEGEX in Manila was more than a trade show, it was a signal that the Philippine frozen-dessert market is ready for its next chapter. From timeless favourites to flavour risk-taking, from roll-up-your-sleeves demos to boardroom business talk, the event captured the full scoop (pun intended).

Whether you’re running a small gelato cart, launching an ice-cream franchise or just seeking your next dessert-obsession, the message is clear: know your roots, push your boundaries, and never underestimate the power of a great scoop.

Here at Foodamn Philippines, we’ll be keeping an eye on how these trends play out through 2026 and beyond, especially as local and regional dessert operators respond to the inspiration from ICEGEX. Stay tuned for more flavor explorations, behind-the-scenes visits and business insights.

Enjoy your next cone (or cup) with a little extra context, and maybe a flavor inspired by this expo. 

Foodamn Philippines [www.foodamn.com], created by Green Dei (Daryll Villena).

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