When you hear the whirr of a soft-serve machine, or watch a café pour a perfect slush, there’s a legacy behind that moment — especially if it’s powered by Longo & Co. This isn’t just a supplier of ice cream equipment, slush machines, or catering gear — it’s a story of family, ambition, and filling a gap in the market with quality, affordability, and reliability.
Where It All Began: Grandad Antonino’s Journey
The Longo story begins in 1953, when Antonino Longo left Sicily and made his way to the UK. Like many Italian immigrants of the era, he sought work in industries where demand was steady. He found employment in the mines — hard, gruelling work, but consistent. Yet as he toiled underground, Antonino carried with him nostalgic memories of summer evenings back in Sicily: streets filled with laughter, children with cones in hand, and the taste of creamy gelato under the Mediterranean sun.
Life in Britain was different — colder weather, different tastes, and a scarcity of truly authentic ice cream. Over time, Antonino realized there was a gap in the British market. He wasn’t alone in missing the Flavors of home, and he saw an opportunity: bring excellent ice cream to people here, with that touch of Sicilian authenticity.
So, he bought one van. That was the beginning of Longo’s Ices.
He drove around neighbourhoods, parks, fairs, and markets, serving small cones, cups, and smiles. Each ice cream sold wasn’t just a product — it was a bridge between his Sicilian roots and his new life in Britain. The van became a moving ambassador of joy, of frozen delight.
Growth Through the Decades: Van to 30 Strong
Over the years, the Longo name became known locally. Word spread: this family makes good ice cream. By the late 1990s, what began with a solitary van had blossomed into a fleet of 30 vans under the Longo’s Ices banner. That transition was driven by consistency, hard work, and the belief that you didn’t need to compromise taste for scale.
Having multiple vans allowed Longo’s to serve more communities, participate in events and local fairs, and solidify its brand in those early decades. But running a mobile ice cream van business also meant dealing with equipment — freezers, mixers, dispensers, and maintenance — which kept the team in close contact with the machinery side of the trade.
And as the 21st century approached, the brothers who had grown up in this business saw new possibilities beyond mobile vans.
2005: A Leap into Importing Equipment
In 2005, Andrea Longo, one of the three Longo brothers, felt the pull of something bigger. He saw the cost pressures that many ice cream entrepreneurs faced: premium machines (like Taylor, Carpigiani, and Polar Slush) delivered excellent quality, but often at steep prices. Many smaller or startup businesses couldn’t access that gear without heavy investment.
Andrea decided to take a leap. He travelled to the Canton Fair in China — one of the largest trade fairs in the world — in hopes of sourcing frozen equipment, ice cream machines, and slush units that could match the quality of premium brands, while being far more affordable. His aim: fill the gap between cost and quality, without sacrificing reliability.
What he discovered were manufacturers capable of producing well-constructed equipment at scale. By forging relationships, understanding engineering tolerances, and leveraging his own deep knowledge of ice cream trade needs, Andrea was able to bring back machines that delivered on durability and performance — at a cost that many competitors couldn’t match.
Thus began Longo & Co’s transition from being purely a production/van-based ice cream business, to becoming a key player in the ice cream equipment and slush machine supply world.
Core Philosophy: Reliability & Affordability
From the very start, the Longo business has stood on two pillars:
- Reliability — “Our blues run on reliability.” In equipment, inconsistency kills trust. A slush machine that fails in summer, or a soft-serve freezer that sputters, instantly damages reputation. Longo prioritized building machines that operators can depend on — machines robust to real-world use, not just showroom performance.
- Quaint Service + Fair Pricing — The Longo approach is personal. The company doesn’t want to be just another faceless distributor. Instead, it offers attentive service to customers — from new startups to established chains — helping them get going, maintain, repair, and upgrade. All while making sure the machine isn’t overpriced for what you get.
In short: you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good quality ice cream machine.
Milestones and Diversification
Over the years, Longo & Co didn’t just stick with ice cream machines. The company expanded strategically into complementary product lines:
- Heated catering equipment — because many customers were already running food businesses, and needed ovens, warming cabinets, or hot counters.
- Orange juice machines — a natural adjacent product to frozen and chilled dessert machines.
- Trade show presence — Longo & Co has consistently attended industry events including ICA shows, local and national catering expos, and international fairs. These help the brand meet new customers, test new markets, and benchmark against premium brands.
- Trusted contracts with big names — The Longo brand became a preferred partner for companies such as Asda, Nisa Local, and Hilton Hotels. These contracts reinforced that Longo machines aren’t just for small operators but can perform at higher standards.
Each milestone reinforced the brand’s message: Longo & Co is serious, dependable, and priced for accessibility.
Standing Up to the Big Brands
In the world of ice cream and frozen dessert equipment, names like Carpigiani, Taylor, and Polar Slush are often considered benchmarks. Many businesses equate brand name with reliability and long life. But Longo & Co’s offering is refining that equation.
- Carpigiani has long been known as a world leader in soft-serve, gelato and frozen drink machines, with more than 70 years of experience. carpigiani.co.uk
- Taylor’s frozen slush and beverage machines are widely used in bars, restaurants, and catering setups, praised for performance and reputation. Taylor UK+1
- Polar Slush (and “Polar Slush machines”) are also commonly mentioned in the UK frozen drinks space.
Longo doesn’t pretend to out-luxury those names, but positions itself as a value alternative: high-performing machines that can match durability for many use cases, but at a fraction of the premium brand markup. It’s the gap that Andrea spotted in 2005 — the intersection of quality and affordability.
Because you can find many comparisons by customers: “why pay double for a name when Longo offers nearly the same for less?” The key is delivering that promise — and maintaining the trust customers place when they buy a Longo & Co unit.
Today: A Reliable Machine You Can’t Beat on Price
Currently, Longo & Co offers a full range of commercial frozen dessert and catering equipment, from soft serve ice cream machines, slush machines, to juicers, heated units, and more. The company underscores that its machines are reliable, well-engineered, and cannot be beaten on price for the quality.
The brand is doubling down on branding, marketing, and being even more trusted across the UK — to show that you don’t need huge capital to enter the ice cream or dessert business.
Longo’s message is: We help businesses succeed, whether you’re launching your first ice cream kiosk, expanding a café menu, or upgrading your hotel’s dessert offering.
