Miranda Yeoh Gives Us the Scoop on the Inner Workings of Paolo Paolo Gelato

A candid conversation with Miranda Yeoh, the force behind Paolo Paolo Gelato, about the inner workings of her job and the brand. 

Having a bad day? Get a scoop of gelato to cheer yourself up! Having a great day? Celebrate with a scoop of gelato! It always seems to be the perfect time for this chilly sweet treat and Paolo Paolo Gelato is the go-to for many in the KL and PJ area. Marked by a bright red triangle with its name etched in, the brand is now one that you can recognise from a quick glance at its cup or napkin from afar. 

It opened the doors to its first outlet at The Five in February 2023 but its true start began a year prior. The main driving force behind it all was—and still is—Miranda Yeoh. Coming from a professional background that took on many shapes and sizes, her decision to jump into the dessert industry was one of faith and curiosity. Fast forward to now, she has created over 200 flavours, collaborated with global brands, opened several new outlets, and carved somewhat of a culture around its gelato. Naturally, we wanted to get a behind-the-scenes look at the gelateria and get to know the woman powering it all. 

How did the idea of Paolo Paolo Gelato first come about? 

In the early stages of ideation, we were toying around with the idea of doing both doughnuts and ice cream as a combination. But we decided along the way that it was better to choose just one. So we took a gamble and decided to just go for gelato instead.

It’s one thing to have an idea and another to actually build on it and start. What was the push for you to put it all into motion?

There were a few key factors that gave me the confidence to. I’ve worked across several industries and that breadth of experience made me feel ready to not just build a brand, but also to face what I lacked that was necessary to grow a business from the ground up. 

On top of that, I was already familiar with the F&B landscape, especially in coffee, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, and Quick Service Restaurants, thanks to my time in digital marketing. I had access to plenty of data, trends, and insights that helped shape a clear vision. And finally, back in 2022 and 2023, I saw real untapped potential in the gelato space in Malaysia—so the timing felt right.

What does a typical day on the job look like?

My days are different every day but it is often a variation of communicating with suppliers and clients, working a shift at any of my outlets, snapping photos, plus touching base with both my kitchen and front of house team. During the early days, I would be in the kitchen churning and then out front serving. Nowadays, I am unfortunately not able to stay in the kitchen as I have to be really hands-on with running the business’s daily operations. 

Your unique take on flavours (and delicious execution of them, of course) has led to some special collaborations with local brands in the last couple of years. Which collaboration has been particularly memorable?

I loved working with every brand, and they were all so special to me. I think one of the most memorable would be the time we collaborated with food reviewer Tastydigs. She had just come back from Italy at the time and she described this flavour that she really loved there. She showed me a picture and described the flavour and we just imagined what it would taste like. 

In the end, it turned out exactly as how she had it and it has to date, been our best selling flavour. I remember we sold out early that day and rushed to prepare a new pan because the queue was insane. People were waiting in the carpark for it to be ready. It was crazy.

How do you come up with flavour ideas? What’s the process of R&D like?

The idea of a flavour has to come from a memory because I believe that’s when it feels special. It could be something you ate when you were a kid or even something interesting I came across the other day. If it’s memorable, then it should be a flavour. For example, our lemon mascarpone flavour is our version of the Solero Shot popsicle. 

How do you decide which flavours go and which stay?

This is a tough one because even the less popular flavours like our black garlic stracciatella or fish sauce caramel had its fans. None of the less popular flavours actually go away permanently per se—they do come back. The difference is the frequency in which they reappear. These flavours come back less than those like browned butter. To date, we have made 200 flavours, so it’s just generally quite hard to bring back everyone’s favourite all the time.

What’s a common misconception people have about gelato and about Paolo Paolo Gelato in general?

That we are an Italian brand or “international” brand. Sometimes, they ask if the founder is someone named Paolo and if he’s Italian. In reality, he’s actually my cat, who sadly passed on last year. And he wasn’t even Italian [laughs], he was a British Short Hair.

How do you intend to cement the Malaysian identity in the brand?

This is a really interesting question that I often think about. What does it really mean to have a Malaysian identity? Is it to lean into Malaysian nostalgia? To only feature local flavours and ingredients (which we already do some days)? In all honesty, I believe we would only really be limiting ourselves if we did. So, I do not have an answer to this, other than say we are proudly 100% Malaysian whenever someone asks! 

Being at the head of the brand, you get to see all aspects of the process from working with suppliers to serving consumers. Which part is the most challenging?

Running a business as a whole is so hard! But if I had to name a single challenge, it would be managing a team and hiring. It’s a real skill to ensure you have happy and engaged employees. 

At Paolo Paolo Gelato, diners can pick one extra flavour to have as a dollop on their scoops. What was the thought process behind that move?

I wanted our serving to look a little bit different and it had to be something simple operationally but still effective. The idea of a dollop felt fun and visually playful, but it also gives customers a chance to try a new flavour without committing to a full scoop. Hopefully, it sparks curiosity and gets them thinking about what they might want to come back for next time.

To your fans’ delight, the brand has grown across multiple locations in the last year alone. How do you feel about this growth?

Isn’t it wild we’ve come to this point where we have three going on four locations? The thought of it is just unbelievable. I’ve actually had people tell me we’re not scaling fast enough! But for me, it’s really important that we grow with intention and thoughtfulness. Each new location teaches us something new and we want to make sure we’re building a brand that lasts, not just expanding for the sake of it. 

If you could only have three Paolo Paolo Gelato flavours for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Why you gotta do me dirty like this! They are all my babies. If I had to pick three I guess it would be Bacio, cucumber and wasabi sorbet, and the strawberry stracciatella.

What makes doing all this work worth it?

Definitely when I meet happy regulars who have supported Paolo Paolo Gelato since the beginning. Their happiness and support means the world to us! People think we exaggerate when we have really great regulars and supporters. But I promise, we really, really do have some of the best ones out there.

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