For most businesses, a power outage is an inconvenience. For Oh My Gelato, it could mean production coming to a standstill, customer orders delayed and thousands of dollars’ worth of temperature-sensitive product at risk.
It’s why founder Eugene invested in battery storage for his business, using a PowerPlus Energy battery system. The objective wasn’t simply to reduce electricity costs. It was to protect the business he’d spent years building and help it continue operating when the unexpected happens.
Today, after experiencing three major grid outages, he has no doubts about that decision.
“No one gets to test their system until you have to. We’ve had three occasions where we’ve been tested, and we’ve come out the other side.”
From Backyard Hobby to Food Manufacturing Business
Like many successful businesses, Oh My Gelato didn’t begin with a business plan. It began with a birthday present.
For his 40th birthday, Eugene received a small gelato machine. What started as a hobby quickly became an obsession as he immersed himself in learning the craft, experimenting with recipes and perfecting techniques inspired by authentic Italian gelato.
Friends and family wanted more. Then cafés started asking. Soon, the demand outgrew the kitchen bench.
Years later, that same passion has grown into a thriving manufacturing business producing around five tonnes of premium gelato every month. Oh My Gelato supplies cafés, restaurants and hotels across Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.
Looking around the factory today, it’s difficult to imagine it all began with a single countertop machine. But the curiosity that started it all still drives the business.
Inside Oh My Gelato
From the street, Eugene’s property looks like any other suburban home. There’s a family house, a front garden and a driveway. Behind it sits something few people would expect: a fully operational commercial gelato manufacturing facility.
Inside, Italian production equipment, blast freezers and refrigerated storage operate every day, producing premium gelato for customers across Australia.
Running around the clock, the factory consumes between 250 and 300kWh of electricity every day, making energy one of the business’s significant operating costs.
Supporting it all is a close-knit team of 13 people. Eugene doesn’t describe them as employees. He describes them as family.
“We’ve built an amazing group. Some have been with us for years. We’re a team.”
Many have grown alongside the business, helping transform a backyard operation into a recognised manufacturer supplying customers across Australia. Nothing about Oh My Gelato has followed a conventional path.
The Drive to Improve Energy Efficiency
Whether it’s refining recipes, improving production processes or embracing new technologies, Eugene is constantly looking for new ways to do things.
That mindset has earned him a nickname around the factory: “Eugenius”. It’s a title he laughs about, but one that’s stuck.
Known for seeing opportunities where others see problems, Eugene has built a culture of continual improvement. That same curiosity led him to explore renewable energy and battery storage, not simply to lower electricity costs, but to strengthen the business for the future.
When asked what business he’s really in, his answer has nothing to do with gelato.
“We’re not in the business of gelato. We’re in the business of generosity, smiles, kindness and joy.”
It’s a philosophy reflected throughout the business, in the way the team works together, the relationships built with customers and the opportunities created through the company’s growth.
Why Battery Backup Matters for Food Manufacturing
Behind every tub of premium gelato sits an energy-intensive manufacturing process. Commercial refrigeration operates 24 hours a day. Blast freezers protect finished product awaiting delivery. Every batch represents premium ingredients, skilled craftsmanship and hours of labour.
As Eugene explains:
“The most important thing is that we haven’t lost any product. It’s the time and labour that goes into making it. You can’t replace that.”
Initially, Eugene invested in solar and battery storage to better manage electricity costs. The system helped reduce reliance on expensive peak electricity while supporting the business’s energy needs.
Then one evening, everything changed.
A message came through confirming the entire street had lost power. Eugene’s first thought wasn’t the house. It was the factory.
Fifteen freezers. Thousands of dollars’ worth of premium gelato. Customer deliveries due the following day. Hours upon hours of work sitting behind every freezer door.
“I’m looking at all these freezers full of stock, trying to work out how long we’d be okay.”
The existing system carried some essential loads, but it was still a stressful night managing equipment and making sure everything remained protected.
By morning, one thing was certain. He wasn’t prepared to experience that again.
How Battery Storage in Businesses Supports Continuity
Following the outage, Oh My Gelato expanded its PowerPlus Energy battery system to 45kWh. The goal was to improve energy resilience for the business, helping protect critical equipment and reduce the risk of disruption during grid outages.
The battery stores excess solar energy for later use, helping the business manage its electricity consumption while providing backup power to the loads supported by the system when the grid goes down.
Unlike a conventional backup generator, a suitably configured battery system can transition to backup operation automatically, without the need to rush onsite to refuel equipment or manually start a generator.
For Eugene, that’s where the real value lies. The technology should take pressure off the business, not create another problem to manage.
Three Grid Outages Put Battery Backup to the Test
Many battery owners may never experience a genuine grid outage. Oh My Gelato has experienced three.
“We’ve actually had three power outages since we’ve had the system. Funny enough, we had none before.”
Each outage affected the entire street. Each time, the business continued operating, but one experience stands out above the rest.
“I walked outside because I wasn’t even sure we’d lost power. The traffic lights were off. The whole street was black. We were running entirely on batteries and hadn’t even noticed.”
That’s what effective backup power can mean for a business. No scrambling to protect stock. No immediate interruption to supported operations. Just the confidence that essential equipment can keep running when the surrounding grid cannot.
For businesses where production schedules, refrigeration and customer deliveries depend on reliable electricity, that reassurance can make a real difference.
Protecting Refrigeration, Product Quality and Customer Trust
Reliable power isn’t simply about keeping freezers running. For a food manufacturer, it’s about protecting product quality, reputation and customer confidence.
Every production run is logged. Every batch is traceable. Every storage condition is recorded.
“Everything is logged. If there’s ever a question about a batch, we have evidence that we’ve had power.”
That level of traceability became particularly valuable when one interstate customer experienced an issue at their own facility. Because Oh My Gelato could demonstrate its storage conditions had remained uninterrupted, it was able to provide confidence in the integrity of its product.
In this case, reliable energy didn’t just help protect the product. It helped protect years of hard-earned trust.
For food manufacturers, battery backup for refrigeration can form part of a wider business continuity strategy. Maintaining power to critical refrigeration and production equipment helps reduce the risk of stock losses and operational disruption. The appropriate system depends on the equipment being supported, its power requirements and the duration of backup needed.
Despite embracing technology throughout the business, Eugene has a simple philosophy.
“Don’t let the business control you. You control the business. Don’t let the machine control you, you control the machine.”
For him, technology should create freedom, not complexity. Rather than worrying about the next outage, he can focus on growing the business, supporting his team and continuing to innovate.
With production continuing to expand, he’s already planning additional solar capacity to support the next stage of growth.
Creating Opportunities Beyond the Factory
As our conversation came to an end, it became clear that Oh My Gelato’s impact extends well beyond manufacturing premium gelato. The business has created meaningful employment, developed long-term careers and opened doors for people who simply needed someone to believe in them.
One story stood out, a woman escaping domestic violence who was given the opportunity to build and eventually sell her own gelato business through Eugene’s support. It’s a powerful reminder that resilient businesses don’t just create products or profits. They create opportunities*.
The Business Value of Reliable Backup Power
Oh My Gelato is one example of how battery storage for businesses can support energy-intensive operations. For manufacturers and other businesses that rely on refrigeration, production equipment or other essential electrical loads, a properly designed battery backup system can help manage energy use and provide greater resilience when the grid goes down.
Ask Eugene what the greatest benefit of the PowerPlus Energy battery system has been and he doesn’t mention electricity bills. He doesn’t talk about kilowatt-hours or peak demand charges.
Instead, he smiles. “Now, as of last week, I can sleep easy.”
For a business owner responsible for a growing team, customers across Australia and thousands of dollars’ worth of temperature-sensitive product, that’s perhaps the greatest measure of success.
Simply knowing that when the next outage comes, the business has a system in place to help keep essential operations running.
Looking for Battery Storage for Your Business?
PowerPlus Energy designs and manufactures battery energy storage solutions for a range of applications.
From supporting essential equipment during grid outages to helping businesses make better use of solar energy, the right solution starts with understanding how your business uses power and what it needs to keep running.
Talk to PowerPlus Energy about battery storage for your business, or explore our energy storage solutions to find an option suited to your application.
*A note from PowerPlus: WE feel that this is an incredibly important story to share but felt it would get worried if it was featured in this case study. We will be writing a follow up article on this.
