Anthony Gowler, Managing Director of Jersey Jack Gelato
In our 10th edition of EATALCHAM, we are featuring Mr Anthony Gowler, Managing Director of Jersey Jack Gelato, an artisan-style gelato maker based in Kuala Lumpur known for its fresh, high-quality Italian-style gelato and charming tricycle carts.
From left to right: Erika Angelozzi (Managing Director, Italcham Malaysia), Anthony Gowler (Managing Director, Jersey Jack Gelato), Michele Dossi (President, Italcham Malaysia) at the Ospitalità Italiana ceremony at Italcham’s Annual General Meeting 2025
1. You left a well-established career in engineering to embark on a completely new path in Kuala Lumpur. What inspired you to transition into the gelato business in Malaysia?
I always enjoyed the ‘hands on’ and physical side of being an engineer but as the company grew I came to the slow realisation that I was not enjoying my work as much as I used to. I was no longer an engineer and had become a company administrator, spending most of my days in the office, chairing meetings with the various departments and staring at a computer screen.
When the opportunity came to sell the business, I took it. We wanted to stay in Malaysia and started looking for a new business. A friend had just started a dairy farm, he suggested to ‘do something’ with his milk, when I inputted ‘Gelato’ to my spreadsheet it ticked most of the boxes, it’s a hands-on business which produces a physical product, challenging, creative, and fun.
2. Your decision to use Jersey cow’s milk is very specific and distinctive. Can you tell us how this choice connects with the artisan Italian gelato tradition, and how it influences the final product?
It was the availability of my friend’s Jersey cow milk that kick-started the business and a chance encounter with an Italian gelato chef at a conference in Singapore, who convinced me that I should be producing gelato and not ice cream. I had completed some ice cream training courses in the UK and spent a month making ice cream at a family friend’s dairy farm. After meeting Chef Manuel, Jersey Jack Ice Cream became Jersey Jack Gelato!
After two weeks of training in our KL kitchen, I had my first twenty-five gelato recipes. I learnt the importance of great ingredients and knowing where they came from, with milk being the foundation of great gelato, we were fortunate to know the farm, the Farmer, and the cows. We know the freshness of the milk and maintain the freshness by quickly transforming it into gelato. The higher fat content of Jersey milk helps in creating a silky smooth product with excellent ‘mouth feel’ and flavour.
A vibrant display of gelato at Jersey Jack Gelato
3. Operating in Malaysia, how do you stay true to the authenticity and quality of the true Italian Gelato? How do you manage the sourcing of ingredients and the selection of equipment: do you rely on local products or Italian imports?
I will always be grateful to Chef Manuel, he is the Gordon Ramsey of the gelato business, a taskmaster who is totally uncompromising when it comes to creating authentic Italian gelato. Crafting a gelato recipe requires precise balancing of many parameters such as fat content, sugars, milk solids and quite a few more!
There is no cutting corners or negotiation when it comes to gelato formulation; this is something I learnt from Manuel. The paste flavouring we use comes from Italy, milk, cream and sugar are locally sourced, we also make some sugar in-house. Equipment, of course, is Italian!
We must not forget sorbet, the fruit flavours, most are sourced locally from suppliers, some seasonal fruit we buy from markets and strawberries we get direct from Cameron Highlands, no artificial flavourings, all made with real fruit. Over the years, we have slowly made our gelato less sweet, and Manuel may not approve of it, but sometimes small compromises are necessary to keep the customer happy.
Jersey Jack Gelato’s Logo
Jersey Jack Gelato’s tricycle cart
4. Looking to the future, how do you see the brand’s path? What are your prospects and hopes? And how do you see the gelato culture evolving in Malaysia?
Jersey Jack has been in business for just over 10 years. Currently, over 90% of our business is B to B, supplying to cafés, restaurants, visitor centres, and hotels. Moving forward, we plan to open more retail outlets. We have a new outlet in Melaka which should be open later this year, quickly followed by one in Penang. We plan to have five outlets open before the end of 2026, which will include new branches in Kuala Lumpur.
We are not yet looking at malls, and we prefer to focus on street shops in popular tourist locations. We have been very slow to venture into the retail space, and with ten years of experience, I believe we know the business very well, and it’s time to challenge ourselves again as we look to expand. Ice cream trends come and go, gelato, with its focus on quality and tradition, has been around for a very long time and will always continue to be around. New flavours may come and go, branding and marketing will change, but fundamentally, gelato will remain the same.
Triple Chocolate Gelato
The Ospitalità Italiana certificate is promoted by Unioncamere with the support of IS.N.A.R.T.. It recognizes restaurants, pizzerias, and gelaterias that uphold the highest standards of Italian authenticity, quality, and hospitality abroad.
5. Jersey Gelato has been awarded the prestigious Ospitalità Italiana certification, a symbol of true Italian excellence. What does this recognition mean to you?
Not being Italian or growing up with the tradition of gelato, it took some time to appreciate the history and importance of gelato in Italian culture. Gelato is an iconic product that embodies the passion Italians have for their history, culture, and produce. I witnessed this firsthand when training with Chef Manuel.
I used to feel nervous when Italian tourists came in for a gelato, but their response and that of the Italian Chefs we supply to, at some of the most prestigious restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, has taught me that we are staying true to the principles of traditional artisan gelato. The award of Ospitalità Italiana certification is a great honour and demonstrates an Englishman’s acceptance into the very Italian world of gelato.
Follow Jersey Jack Gelato on Instagram for the latest updates:
Adress: Jersey Jack Gelato, 49, Jalan Berangan, Off Jalan Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Hours:
Tue – Thu: 11.00 – 22.00
Fri – Sat: 11.00 – 24.00
Sun: 12.30 – 22.00
Phone: +6017 520 5060
Email: info@jerseyjackgelato.com