You can never have too many scoops, especially if they are bold and honest! – Interview with Andrea Koncz, the creator of Sissi Ice Cream

– A family success story that started on the shores of Lake Balaton in the 1980s and continues as a chain of award-winning ice cream parlours. How did you get from Zamárdi to Gödöllő and then back to Balatonakarattya?

– “In the late 1980s, I often helped out at a dear friend’s ice cream parlour in Zamárdi, while he and his East German wife were visiting home for the summer. In the early 1990s, after the reunification of Germany, they decided to move back to her hometown. Of course, the ice cream parlour was offered to us first, and after much thought, my husband and I bought it. We were newly married, we did not have much savings, but I knew we would enjoy it.

We spent seven years here, then the unit had to be demolished due to a local government zoning plan. My daughters were also born around that time, so we moved away from the world of ice cream for many years. But when my youngest daughter turned four, I decided that they were old enough to start the business again – this time not on the shores of Lake Balaton, but in our hometown of Gödöllő.”

– So the location was given, how did Queen Elizabeth come into the picture?

– “Gödöllő and the Sissi cult go back a long time. The Grassalkovich Castle was one of Sissi’s favourite places to stay, she spent a lot of time here, often rode horses in the surrounding forests and groves, and had an extremely good relationship with the locals. It was no question for us to choose Sissi as our namesake – it is worthy of the city and the quality we want to represent. Today, we have units not only in Gödöllő, but also in Veresegyháza and Balatonakarattya.”

– Health awareness plays a prominent role in your career, and Sissi Ice Cream is also built around this. What do you experience: is there an expectation from consumers that scoops be made from clean ingredients?

– “I think so. Consumers who strive for quality and seek real flavours can clearly distinguish ice cream made from natural ingredients from products enriched with flavourings, colours and bulking agents. Making good quality ice cream is not really hard: if you want fruit ice cream, put fruit in it – not flavourings, not pastes. If you want milk ice cream, use real milk, cream, butter – not plant milks or whipping agents. Cook the caramel yourself, roast the seeds, make the jam or sponge cake for the ice cream – all naturally, without convenience products. This is how we think too.”

– What is the ice cream experience that is still defining for you?

– "I have a mentor of Italian origin who has sensational knowledge. The ice cream master, who is now over seventy years old, helps me a lot every year and encourages me to try my hand not only in Hungarian but also in Italian competitions. For me, his ice cream is the benchmark!"

– Rákóczi cottage cheese with rosemary and roasted peaches, gentle hemp with wild blackberries, or balsamic roasted cranberries with soft goat cheese – amazingly bold pairings! Where does the inspiration come from, and how does the experimentation and tasting take place?

– “From everywhere. Wherever I go – restaurants, shops, watching a cooking show, thumbing through a cookbook – I am always looking for new flavours. People around me know this, so they often come to me with ideas. The experimentation itself is longer: first I experiment with the taste and texture, and then, if I feel it is appropriate, I involve people around me in the tasting.

– Sissi ice creams have won countless awards, including Ice Cream of the Year and Ice Cream of Lake Balaton. What do these awards mean to you?

– “I have actually said so many times that I do not want to compete any more because it consumes an incredible amount of energy but there is always a new idea that takes me to the next competition. We have many awards: in the Ice Cream of Lake Balaton competition in 2022, the Eszterházy strawberry wonder with lavender won the main prize, and in 2023 the Simply cottage cheese dumpling received a special prize. In the Ice Cream of the Year competition in 2021, the Balsamic baked cranberry with soft goat cheese won three awards, and in 2023 the Rákóczi cottage cheese with rosemary baked peaches received the special prize of the professional organisations. These are huge recognitions not only for me, but also for my team. Last year, for example, we managed to win an Italian competition with the help of three excellent pastry students. The result of these experiments is nearly 150 different Sissi flavours, and I am also proud that every year, on 20 August, we prepare the Cake of Hungary in the form of ice cream.”

– What are your plans for the future?

– "We would like to open more Sissi Ice Cream parlours in the country, if not our own, then on a franchise basis. In addition, my long-term plans include education and mentoring. There is still a lot to discover in the world of ice cream!"

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