The award-winning product, "100-Year Sapodilla Ice Cream from Ban Mai", is a local OTOP (One Tambon One Product) innovation from Ban Mai Subdistrict, Maha Rat District, developed from a once-overlooked native fruit.
Mayor Au, the former mayor of Ban Mai Subdistrict Administrative Organization, shared that during his tenure, he noticed that sapodilla, a traditional fruit cultivated in the region for over a century, was being abandoned. Due to lack of market value, locals had begun cutting down the trees in favor of other crops.
In response, he led the initiative to register sapodilla as Ayutthaya's first and only Geographic Indicator (GI) product, elevating its status and encouraging its transformation into value-added products. His team eventually developed the sapodilla ice cream, which went on to win first prize in Thailand's Knowledge-Based OTOP (KBO) program in 2022, competing against entries from all 76 provinces.
"I am deeply proud to bring this global recognition back to Thailand — from a fruit once deemed worthless, passed down from our ancestors for over a hundred years, to a world-class award winner," said Mayor Au.
Today, Ban Mai Subdistrict is home to a model community product development center, awarded the 2024 FDA (Thai Food and Drug Administration) Award for national product safety and production standards — enabling local entrepreneurs to register for FDA approvals, significantly reducing production costs.
This success is the result of collaboration between the Ban Mai Subdistrict Administrative Organization, the Department of Community Development, the Ayutthaya Provincial Community Development Office, Rajamangala University of Technology Suvarnabhumi, the Ayutthaya Provincial Public Health Office, and the OTOP Trader Network of Thailand.
For those interested in tasting this award-winning treat, the 100-Year Sapodilla Ice Cream is available at Thong Kip Ma Cafe, located in the Luang Pu Thuat Market, KM.44, Asia Highway, Ban Mai Subdistrict, Maha Rat District, Ayutthaya.
