(AGI) Rome, Oct 1 - Unilever, the British-Dutch multinationalcompany known for its numerous brands of consumer goods,announced on Thursday that it has acquired the premium Italiangelato maker Grom. Unilever said the acquisition, in line withthe gelato market's growth in the premium segment, willstrengthen its portfolio in the sector, adding that the Italiancompany "will be run as a standalone unit, with Federico andGuido continuing to manage the business from its headquartersin Turin". The first Grom store was opened in Turin in 2003 byFederico Grom and Guido Martinetti with the aim to produce thebest gelato in the world, using only high-quality ingredients.Grom is now a premium brand with 67 stores in Italy and abroad."We will continue to use the best ingredients from our organicfarming business Mura Mura and those provided by our suppliers,and will keep our production in Turin to continue offering ourcustomers the gelatos and sorbets they love," Martinetti said."We're proud to have the opportunity to work alongsideUnilever's best managers, because we're convinced that, throughtheir expertise and knowledge of international markets, we'llbe able to achieve the dream born 12 years ago in a small shopin the centre of Turin, to bring quality Italian gelato to theworld," he added. "This is an important achievement for Grombecause it allows us to see our ambitions become a reality,"Federico Grom commented. "Unilever is an international businesswith strong roots in Italy and a deep knowledge of our market,where it has been present for 50 years. We believe thatUnilever, with whom we share core values such as agriculturalproduction chains and prizing quality, is the right partner tomake a further step forward and bring our brand and ourproducts to new countries." The Italian gelato company Gromwill join Unilever's family of ice cream makers, which includesAlgida, Carte D'Or, Cornetto, Ben & Jerry's, and Magnum. . .