People told Francesca Michielin and Alberto Cementon they were crazy when they opened their gelati shop in Bermagui in 2003.
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Francesca, who comes from north east of Venice, met Alberto, originally from Melbourne, while he was living and working in Italy.
"I was working in a shop and one day he would come in and buy a plate, then the next day a fork, and the next day a bowl," Francesca said.
Alberto had sold his Melbourne apartment to buy a block of land in Bermagui where he and his family and friends had spent holidays.
Alberto brought Francesca to see Bermagui the year before they moved there.
She loved it instantly.
They moved from Italy with all the equipment and containers to make gelati.
"The idea had started as a joke," she said.
"We had a friend with a gelati shop.
"He taught us the secrets and the best way to make it.
"He was the best," Francesca said.
Simple philosophy, simple recipes
They originally worked from a shop in Bunga Street, between Honorbread and the pizza shop.
It had been a veterinary clinic so they left the clinic part of the signage on the awning.
Francesca said their gelati is traditional and purist.
"There is nothing too complicated.
"It is all about flavour and quality, not many ingredients but good ones," she said.
They source milk from farms in Coolagolite and pasteurise it themselves.
Alberto said there is no need to invent flavours when so many are already available.
"Our mission is to pay homage to what already exists," he said.
Seen lots of change in Bermagui
Francesca said Bermagui was "really, really different" when they opened in 2003.
There is now much more life and many more young families because "as we learnt, there is opportunity and there is always something to do".
After a big summer and Easter it used to be very quiet but that too is changing.
"Weekends are always busy and some days during the week are very busy too," she said.
She attributes their longevity to persevering and loving what they do.
"It takes time in a little town to be successful.
"You have to really want to be here otherwise it is too easy to leave."
Ingredients carefully sourced
The couple know the farmers who produce the milk, the farmer who grows their strawberries in Victoria's Coldstream and their hazelnut producers in Italy's Piedmont region.
"Every gelati shop in the world gets their hazelnuts from there," Alberto said.
"It only takes a week from rural Italy to rural Australia," he said.
Sometimes people ask them to do different things which they do because they enjoy experimenting.
Most of their fruit flavours come from people's gardens.
"People are so proud because we use their produce," Alberto said.