Blending farm-fresh passion with award-winning gelato on Darby Street
When you walk into Ballimore Farms Creamery on Darby Street, you’re going in for the gelato, or perhaps even some cheese, milk, and yoghurt. However, it’s not just the smooth creamy gelato that you walk away talking about.
Owners Brad and Alex share a passion for the land and the processes they’ve developed which have resulted in what is some of the creamiest gelato we’ve ever tasted.
Speaking with Alex on our visit, his enthusiasm for gelato, and all things Ballimore Farm is palpable.
Co-owner of Ballimore Farmers Creamery - Alex
Whether it’s about the fresh batch of banoffee made with rich Jersey cow’s milk or a fruity creation where their farm-sourced goat’s milk takes centre stage, Alex speaks with experience and energy as well as he and Brad’s love for their Lamancha goats.
The roots of Ballimore Farms run deep in dairy. Both Alex and co-owner Brad come from generations of farmers, and the choice to use the rare Lamancha goat breed - a USA based goat breed, bred from a Spanish breed - was deliberate.
“Their milk is higher in protein, easier to digest, and gives us a beautiful creaminess,” Alex said. “We’ve had people with belly issues who can’t handle cow’s milk, but they can smash the goat stuff.”
“The beautiful thing about goat’s milk is that it’s naturally homogenised which allows the flavours to bleed through,” Alex said. “If I put strawberries in it, you’re going to taste the strawberries.”
That balancing act has led to some seriously inventive flavours – Sour Cherry Dark Chocolate, Apple Whiskey Sour, and even a vegan pineapple that Alex swears by. “People love the pineapple,” he says. “It’s light and sweet without that eye-watering acidity.”
Most of Alex’s flavour ideas are sparked late at night experimenting in the kitchen. “I just put the music on, tune out, and think about ice cream. What a great job.”
The journey hasn’t been straightforward. Ballimore started in a food van, juggling market stalls and late nights after full-time farm work. Eventually, they found the Darby Street location – and a kitchen space that allowed them to experiment, refine, and finally bring their gelato to the community in a bigger way.
Recognition came quickly. In their very first gelato competition, they took home multiple medals.
“Everyone kept telling us how good it was, but I wanted someone to tell me what we were doing wrong,” Alex admits with a grin. “Turns out we weren’t doing too badly.”
For Alex, it always circles back to honesty and flavour. “We don’t hide anything,” he says. “Everything starts at the farm – from the grasses we grow to the milk we use – and the flavours speak for themselves.”
