Nestlé & D’Onofrio: Future Plans Before Exit Revealed

The new owner of the Swiss company’s ice cream business would be Froneri, one of the largest multinational ice cream companies in the world.which is a ‘joint venture’ that the company manages together with PAI Partners.

Under the direction of new CEO Philipp Navratil, the Swiss multinational has decided to leave this sweet business to concentrate on sectors that today are considered more profitable such as coffee and pets, as well as food and snacks “with a continuous rationalization of the brand portfolio,” the company said.

At a global level, this strategic move aims to reverse a 17% drop in the company’s global profits over the last year and with the Swiss company’s shares at their lowest level in eight years. UK-based Froneri would take over Nestlé’s ice cream brands over the next year (2027), although the global company will remain part of the joint venture.

In Peru, the topic took on great interest because Nestlé’s operation in the Peruvian market is linked to the traditional D’Onofrio brand, with 88% of the ice cream market, yellow carts and consolidated brands such as Peziduri, Sublime, Donito, among others. The brand, although still under evaluation, could change corporate hands in the coming months.

Last week, the company in Peru told El Comercio that – although it did not directly refer to the Peruvian brand, which it bought in 1997 – that it is “evaluating details” and next steps for its refrigerator operation in our country, adding that information will be provided “in a timely manner” later.

In the last interview with this newspaper, at the beginning of February, Andrea ArllentarIce Cream Marketing Manager at Nestlé Peru, highlighted the latest innovations in the category – such as Nescafé’s leap into the world of ice cream –, launches in which Peru is a pioneer and the progress of what would be the launch of its next chain of D’Onofrio ice cream parlours.

In the aforementioned talk, the executive highlighted that the summer campaign was progressing very well due to the high temperatures and the company’s innovations, so they were very optimistic that they would have at least double-digit growth during this season with ice cream.

For the campaign, the company had more than 8 launches during the season, including Nescafé’s leap into the world of ice cream and the liter KitKat with a special technology called KitKat Layers. In fact, Peru was the first to launch KitKat Layers regular flavor and this year we were again the first country to launch KitKat Layers caramel version, commented Arllentar.

The executive highlighted that today, as D’Onofrio, she has 88% market share and as a brand, the Peruvian brand has celebrated 128 years of existence in 2026. “Clearly all these innovations help us continue gaining share,” she said in the interview.

In recent years, the executive said, the firm has invested around US$10 million in infrastructure, ecofreezers (eco-friendly freezers) and logistical improvements.

What is your level of coverage? The brand today reaches more than 60,000 points of sale and they also have more than 5,000 ice cream makers.

Arllentar considers that this is a more informed consumer, who is also more demanding and diverse. “They look for indulgence, convenience, new experiences and brands they also identify with,” he notes.

Furthermore, he assures that it is not that there is only one ice cream consumer, but that there are many, and that creates a much more demanding challenge. He is definitely a more rational consumer, but he does not stop seeking enjoyment. “Today the consumer is not only looking for price, he is looking for value. And yes, price too, that is why we have had innovations from a sun with Good Humor and we have a range of prices to satisfy all budgets,” he tells us.

Today the per capita consumption of ice cream is approximately 2 liters, when almost 3 decades ago it was barely 0.87 liters.

Is there more competition? The executive observes that the ice cream parlor market is evolving, that is a reality and different models are appearing. As D’Onofrio notes, they constantly evaluate all opportunities, but today their main focus is on continuing to strengthen their brand, portfolio and the consumer experience in all the channels where they are present.

“And, of course, we are also evaluating proposals on how to reinvent ourselves in this world of ice cream parlors. Always thinking about the consumer and the essence of the brand,” he said that day, referring to the project of opening his own D’Onofrio ice cream parlors in Peru.

The executive said that they were finishing closing the entire ‘case’ to see when is really the best time to enter the ice cream chain business. It made it clear that the project was confirmed but it remained to be defined when the right time would be to launch it.

In addition, the choice of the retail partner with whom they planned to associate to enter this business was also under evaluation.

“The important thing is to feel confident that we are going to come up with the right proposal for the consumer, because I think the expectation for D’Onofrio to enter this world is high, so we have to do it right,” the executive commented regarding that next step.

And while this project advances, the company indicates that they will also be focusing on Antica Gelatería del Corso, a Nestlé gelateria chain, which entered the market a couple of years ago. The executive highlighted that this brand is very careful, that it prioritizes experience, quality, with 100% natural ice creams. He announced that investments will also be made there. “We plan to expand the brand. Once we consolidate it well, we will look for expansion,” he announced.