Kelly’s of Cornwall is a manufacturer of ice cream based in Bodmin, Cornwall. It was founded in the 19th century in St Austell, and is now owned by the conglomerate Froneri based in Yorkshire. The company has achieved national prominence in the UK with its television advertising that promotes the Cornish language.
From June 2013 to June 2014, Kelly’s produced around 14½ million litres of clotted ice cream. During the same period, the company announced that it was the sixth largest ice cream manufacturer in Britain and forecast projected sales at £23 million for 2016.
The company was established as an ice cream and fish and chips business by Joseph Staffieri in the late 19th century after he migrated from Italy to St Austell. His son-in-law, Lazero Calicchia took over the business in 1918, using a horse and cart to distribute ice cream around Cornwall. The mobile business is still in operation, with vans regularly travelling to beaches and landmarks around the county. The family name was changed to Kelly (with the company name following suit) in the 1930s, moving to Bodmin in the 1970s. The ice cream became popular at agricultural shows and has been a fixture at the Royal Cornwall Show since 1947.
The ice cream has been produced from milk and clotted cream farmed and pasteurised from a nearby dairy farm at Trewithen.
