Kerrod Trott 
It all began a few years ago with the Almond Blossom Festival in Willunga, when Alessandro – who originally hails from Lake Como in Northern Italy – decided to put his Gelati-making skills to good use to produce a special batch of Almond Gelati for the Festival.
That first batch set the tone for all the many varieties of Gelati that followed, using only the finest, fresh local produce – milk, honey and almonds, etc – and made to a traditional recipe.
It was, as you might expect, a huge success and prompted Alessandro and his partner Sally Wise to expand the range and move into the Gelati business.
Their gelato is made using local ingredients wherever possible: Taronga almonds, Do Bee Honey, Fleurieu Milk, Kuitpo strawberries, McCarthy’s Orchards cherries and more. The couple have recently produced batches of fresh, vegan sorbet using plums and nectarines from the orchards of the Aldinga Arts and Eco Village.
The business is a real family affair. Sally’s daughter Olivia helps out behind the counter, and Alessandro’s son Nic provides a hand with making the gelati.
Sally began running the business from a little food cart at the Willunga Farmers Market for a year or so, but found it a bit limiting. In 2021, they made the move to a pop-up Gelateria shop at the Blacksmith Hub in Aldinga.
Last year, however, saw the business make its most exciting move yet, to a site on Port Road, Aldinga, at the entrance to the Aldinga Arts and Eco Village. Noted local landscape artist Evette Sunset has helped transform a dusty, vacant lot into an enchanted garden space, bedecked with bright beach umbrellas, extensive new gardens and colourful garden furniture.
Sally has really enjoyed the move to the new location. “We’re creating such a lovely vibe,” Sally said, “a real village vibe that’s really beautiful.
“We’re getting a great response from customers,” said Sally. “People really appreciate the quality.”
Sweet Life Gelateria is currently open from 11am till 8.30 pm Thursday to Sunday (though the hours may change after the holidays) and can be found at 167 Port Road, Aldinga.
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