The Thai food industry once again proved its potential on the international stage, with a sapodilla ice cream winning a top prize at the Gourmand Awards 2025.
The deputy spokesperson of the Prime Minister’s Office, Sasikan Wattanachan, announced today, July 3, that the Thai government would like to extend its congratulations to Watsarapong Radomsitthipat after his sapodilla ice cream brought global recognition to Thailand, in line with the country’s Soft Power strategy.
Watsarapong is a former mayor of Ban Mai sub-district, Maha Rat district, Ayutthaya province, a leading source of sapodillas. He developed the award-winning dessert to increase the value of the fruit, which is typically sold for only 5 to 10 baht per kilogramme.
Due to poor market demand, local farmers have long struggled to sell their produce and often resorted to letting the fruit rot or cutting down sapodilla trees in favour of more profitable crops.
In response, Watsarapong innovated a refreshing ice cream using sapodilla as the key ingredient. His dual aim was to preserve the underappreciated fruit and boost its economic value.
He named the dessert 100-year sapodilla ice cream, which quickly became a must-try treat for both local and international tourists visiting Ayutthaya.
Recently, the dessert achieved national acclaim on the global stage at the Gourmand Awards 2025, dubbed the Oscars of the food world, held in Lisbon, Portugal. Watsarapong and his team also attended the event to receive the reward themselves.
“I feel proud to bring home the world’s number one award for sapodilla ice cream, once a fruit people saw as worthless,” said Watsarapong.
Sasikan emphasised that the recognition reflects the enormous potential of Thai community products in penetrating the global food industry. She noted that the success serves as a model for using soft power to uplift Thailand’s grassroots economy.
Those wishing to sample the award-winning 100-Year Sapodilla Ice Cream can do so at Thong Keeb Ma Café, located inside Luang Pu Thuat Market on the Asian Highway in Ban Mai sub-district, Maha Rat district, Ayutthaya.
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