The History of Mister Softee
Original roots start in America the home of Mister Softee and eventually leading to Doncaster.
1960's
From the US to Doncaster
Mister Softee originated in the USA and came over to England in the early 1960’s, where Massarella Supplies Ltd took over a franchise in Doncaster through Lyons.
1864 – Early 1900s
The Massarella Story
In 1864, Giovanni Massarella left his hometown of Settefrate, Italy, seeking a better life in England. After a brief stay in Nottingham, he settled in Doncaster, where he built a barrel organ and performed in the streets. He soon began selling homemade ice cream from his cart, laying the foundation for the family's future business.
1950's
Massarellas Success
At the height of success in the 1950's, Massarellas was producing 5,000 gallons of ice cream a day, becoming one of the biggest ice cream manufacturers in Europe.
1960's
Massarellas sold to Lyons
Massarellas was sold to J Lyons in the 1950s, but in 1963, Giovanni’s grandson Ronnie Massarella repurchased part of the retail business. He expanded it into catering, starting with an ice cream parlour in Sheffield. This grew into the Massarella Catering Group, which ran over 115 cafés and 50 House of Fraser outlets, employing around 2,000 people.
2000s
The Belmont House Factory
The Belmont House factory originally owned by the Massarella family was bought by Dave Dimon nearly 30 years ago. The depot was split into the cash & carry and deliveries of Allied Massarellas/Ice Cream Direct and
C Deakin, to maintain the local council sites and those of the National Trust.
Present Day
Gary Williams
Now nearly 30 years on, we are still going strong. Gary Williams now runs the C Deakin business from the same depot and has a fleet of Mister Softee liveried vans.
He still maintains the National Trust Site and other local council parks he also has many satisfied customers. Here at Doncaster, we still uphold the traditional values and take great pride in the history of the business but we are still able to move the company forward to meet everyone’s changing demands. Since those early days the company has gone from strength to strength and maintaining the tradition of Mister Softee, the company prides itself with the quality of its brands and products available.
Gary aims to continue giving the same professional approach to all his customers new and established and we find it very rewarding hearing back from our customers for their events every year. Our staff, are CRB checked and hold health & hygiene certificates.
