With a focus on speciality single origin coffee, freshly baked cakes from its own bakery, great tasting food and ice cream, the name Colicci has become something of a legend across London and the Home Counties.
Now with the news that the brand has secured a major multi-million pound contract with The Royal Parks to deliver a family fleet of 20 kiosks across Hyde Park, Green Park, St James’s Park and Victoria Tower Gardens, brand presence will be at an all-time high.
These historic green spaces are to be enhanced by striking new sculptural structures, created by the multi award-winning Mizzi Studios, that will pioneer the next generation of kiosk design.
Opening from 1st October 2018 onwards, the 20 sites will include ten freestanding mobile kiosks and three refurbished Colicci kiosks.
Set to enrich the everyday life of all Londoners and the city’s countless visitors, the kiosks and cafe will be complemented by six vintage ice cream trucks. One of these is fully battery powered, the sustainability of which is very much in line with The Royal Parks’ own eco credentials.
The new kiosks are designed to enhance the visitor experience, making a refreshment stop at one of these stunning structures an integral part of a journey through the parks.
Andrew Varnava, Catering Contract Manager, The Royal Parks, said, 'We are delighted to award Colicci the contract to provide a new fleet of kiosks for Hyde, St James’s and Green Parks. The kiosks are a great fit with the Parks’ unique surroundings and are made with sustainable materials and state-of-the-art manufacturing methods. Colicci’s vision is refreshing and innovative, and we very much look forward to furthering our affiliation with them.”
The Colicci brand began over three decades ago when Ernie Colicci arrived in London from Italy with a dream to sell ice cream. Over the years the company has expanded from one van to 34 sites employing 250 people. Still very much a family business, with a big heart and artisan values to match, the Colicci personality will be inextricably linked with these new structures.
Marking the entrances to the Grade I listed parks, Mizzi Studio’s revolutionary tree- like kiosks respond sympathetically to their environment, embodying The Royal Parks’ brand values as a sustainability leader. These curvaceous structures will also represent the Colicci brand and its artisan products through the use of sophisticated, sustainable and warm materials.
Also reflective of the handcrafted nature of the Colicci offering, the timber-clad kiosks will be steam bent by the UK’s leading expert, Tom Raffield, whose unique talents were showcased on Channel 4’s Grand Designs.
Together with Jonathan Mizzi, Director of Mizzi Studios, Colicci’s Director Rob Colicci spent months exploring the parks’ heritage. Each kiosk is tailored to the history, nuances and demographics of its respective site, with the hero structure, the striking brass horseshoe kiosk in St James’s Park - a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace - mirroring the ornate precious metals that adorn Sir Thomas Brock’s iconic Victoria Memorial.
Rob Colicci commented, “This fleet is the culmination of a life-long dream for the Colicci brand and for our family. We began our association with The Royal Parks over 20 years ago - with the opening of The Pheasantry Cafe in Bushy Park in 2013 giving rise to a new Colicci brand - and are thrilled that this relationship has now been cemented further. We couldn’t be more excited for the next steps to unfold.”
Jonathan Mizzi added, “Colicci and Mizzi Studios have collaborated on a number of high profile projects, including the multi award-winning copper kiosk at London’s Westfield Stratford shopping centre. This latest partnership is a career highlight for both our companies and we cannot wait to get started.”