The opening of the ice cream shop, in the center of Olhão, brought to the city a concept that combines local tradition and Italian technique. The space, created by Nelson Costa, has been gaining prominence for its unusual flavors, including an ice cream inspired by the traditional Folar de Olhão, produced without gluten and using artisanal ingredients.
The brand’s founder is Portuguese-French, son of emigrants from São Brás de Alportel, but was born and lived for three decades in Paris. In an interview with POSTAL He explained that it was in the French capital that he built his academic career in the field of psychology and worked on the radio, on a program where he told the history of Portugal through music.
Before arriving in the Algarve, Nelson Costa passed through Italy, where he ended up redefining his professional path. It was in Bologna, at Carpigiani Gelato University, that he deepened his technical training in ice cream, later completing an internship in Florence. This experience was decisive for the construction of the current concept. The technical basis of Italian ice cream became the starting point for a project that mixes precision, seasonality and Portuguese identity.
The choice of Olhão to found São Gelados did not come by chance. Nelson Costa explained to POSTAL that the decision was influenced by access to local raw materials and the dynamics of the municipal market. “The Olhão market is fantastic, it has a variety of fruit and freshness,” he said.
Nelson Costa also admits that other Algarve cities, such as Faro, were on the table to host the project, but the local identity ended up weighing more. Closeness to fresh products and the city’s seasonal rhythm fit the brand’s philosophy.
Ice cream without exclusions
There is also a personal detail that directly shaped the project. Nelson Costa is celiac and this led him to create an ice cream shop that is completely gluten-free, including the cones. The decision also came from my own experiences as a visitor to the Algarve. “When I came to the Algarve it was difficult to have ice cream, so we decided to create an ice cream shop that doesn’t exclude anyone”, he said, in an explanation that helps to understand the inclusive basis of the space.
Among the flavors available, one of the ones that stands out the most is Folar de Olhão ice cream. The idea came about through a challenge launched by chef Mariline Pinguinha, from the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School. Nelson remembers this moment in detail: “We had to deconstruct the folar to reconstruct the flavor of the ice cream.” The result was a recipe inspired by traditional Algarve sweets, but adapted to the house’s concept and gluten-free.
Between memory and tranquility
Production at São Gelados is daily and made from scratch, with seasonal fruit, fresh milk and no dyes. Sugar is used only as necessary to ensure balance and texture.
Today, far from the hustle and bustle of Paris, Nelson Costa says he has found a different reality in the Algarve. “Olhão has a calm that it didn’t have in Paris”, he summarized. A phrase that helps explain why the city ended up being more than a destination to open a business. The also known as “Cubist city” is now the home of Nelson and his wife, in the most symbolic sense of the word.
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