“Sapodilla Ice Cream” OTOP from Ayutthaya Wins GOURMAND World Cookbook Awards
“100-Year Sapodilla Ice Cream from Ban Mai” OTOP Ayutthaya Wins First Place in the World for Ice Cream Category at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards – the Oscars of Food – in Lisbon, Portugal
Mr. Watcharapong Radomsitthiphat, former President of the Ban Mai Subdistrict Administrative Organization in Maha Rat District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, announced that the “100-Year Sapodilla Ice Cream” — a collaboration between Suthipong Suriya (of Karb Studio) and the Ban Mai Subdistrict Administrative Organization — has won first place in the Ice Cream category at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2025, held at the CASCAIS World Food Summit from June 18–22, 2025, in Lisbon, Portugal. The prestigious event was organized by Gourmand International, a global body recognizing the best food and wine books and culinary content worldwide.
The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards celebrate exceptional food publications from around the globe. In 2025, the “100-Year Sapodilla Ice Cream”, an OTOP (One Tambon One Product) innovation from Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, was named the winner in the Ice Cream category. Finalists in this category included entries from Canada (Awesome Ice Pops by Andrew Chase), Denmark (Sorbett by Karl Lundin), Italy (Gelaterie d’Italia by Gambero Rosso), Thailand (Sapodilla Ice Cream by Suthipong Suriya, Ban Mai Subdistrict Administrative Organization), Tonga (Vei’s Vanilla Ice Cream by Children of the Pacific), and the United Kingdom (The Science of Ice Cream by Chris Clarke and Andrew Cox, Royal Society of Chemistry).
Mr. Watcharapong explained that sapodilla is a native fruit of Ayutthaya that has been on the verge of disappearing due to low market value, despite being cultivated for over a century. Ban Mai Subdistrict, in particular, is a region known for sapodilla farming, which had faced decline as villagers prepared to switch to more profitable crops. During his tenure as subdistrict mayor, he initiated the process to register sapodilla as a Geographic Indication (GI) product, becoming Ayutthaya’s first and only GI product. He also promoted its transformation into ice cream to add value to the fruit.
The sapodilla ice cream went on to win Thailand’s top prize in the Knowledge-Based OTOP (KBO) product development program by the Department of Community Development, Ministry of Interior, in 2022, with the award announced at the OTOP Silapacheep Fair in Muang Thong Thani. The official launch of the “100-Year Sapodilla Ice Cream from Ban Mai” is expected in August 2025, where the product will proudly feature the Gourmand Awards seal, marking it as a signature item of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province.
He added that Ban Mai Subdistrict has a community-based product development facility, which is a national model. It won the National FDA Award from the Ministry of Public Health in 2024, meeting production standards that allow for FDA registration — significantly reducing costs for local producers. The success stems from collaboration among the Ban Mai Subdistrict Administrative Organization, the Department of Community Development, Ayutthaya Provincial Community Development Office, Rajamangala University of Technology Suvarnabhumi, Ayutthaya Provincial Health Office, and the Thai OTOP Trader Network, based at the Luang Pu Thuat Market in Ayutthaya.
“I am deeply proud that sapodilla — once a neglected fruit — is now revived through this ice cream, gaining new value and popularity, with farmers increasing cultivation and generating income. This is a model for community product development, showcasing how local governments can play a key role in value creation, job generation, and income distribution within communities. Today marks another proud milestone, as the 100-Year Sapodilla Ice Cream from Ban Mai receives this prestigious global award in Portugal. For those interested, it is now available at Thongkeepma Café, located at Luang Pu Thuat Market, Ayutthaya, KM 44 on Asia Highway,” Mr. Watcharapong concluded.
อ่านข่าวภาษาไทย : “ไอศกรีมละมุด 100 ปี” โอทอปอยุธยา ชนะเลิศรางวัลระดับโลก
