Sunshine Coast ice cream store opened by electricians

A trio of former electricians have revealed why they downed their tool belts and took up the waffle cones in a dramatic career change. Read why they did it here.

A young entrepreneur and his two mates have traded wiring for waffle cones after opening a gelato parlour at a beachside town on the Sunshine Coast.

Artigiano Gelato Mooloolaba opened in March serving traditional and “experimental” flavours, such as Tim Tam and licorice, along the Mooloolaba Esplanade.

Artigiano Gelato Mooloolaba co-founder Matthew Gibson, 21, said he and his co-founders, Joshua McAllister and Chris Stanke, were former electricians in rural Victoria before moving to the region earlier this year.

Mr Gibson, the youngest of the three, said he used to service ice cream machinery at his old job but knew little about the dessert until an opportunity came to open a store in Mooloolaba.

“I didn’t know what Gelato was four months ago,” he said.

Artigiano Gelato Mooloolaba co-founder Matthew Gibson. Picture: Asa Andersen.

Mr Gibson said his team moved to the region after being tired of lockdowns in the state and learnt about the business opportunity from a former customer of their electrical company who used to own the building.

“We thought we may as well give the store a crack,” he said.

Mr Gibson was especially keen on the switch from tradesman to ice cream owner, saying the move “sounded too good to be true”.

Artigiano Gelato Mooloolaba's gelato. Picture: Asa Andersen.

While there were a handful of gelato stores in Mooloolaba, Mr Gibson said they were unique because of their “experimental” flavours and strong support for the community, having already made a donation of free gelato to Mountain Creek State High School.

The trio were now actively searching for a second location.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast ice cream store opened by electricians