The escape fantasy is a familiar refrain: ditch the soul-sucking 9-to-5, pack your bags, and jet off to some idyllic locale to open the quaint little something you've always dreamed of. It's a tantalizing vision, but for most, the logistics, risks, and sheer audacity of it all can be paralyzing. 

But London-born Anna-Rose Lim isn't one to be paralyzed by doubt. She took a leap of faith, hanging up her teaching career to open an artisanal gelato shop in the heart of CDMX. Now, she's dishing out award-winning flavors as she gears up to compete in the International Gelato Championships in LA. 

We caught up with Anna-Rose on Mexican bureaucracy, salted caramel brownies, and the bittersweet realities of building a life (and business) abroad.

What was the "aha!" moment that made you decide to move to Mexico City?

I actually moved here three years ago as a teacher. I was a geography teacher in London for five years, and then I got a bit burnt out during the pandemic. I'd visited Mexico before and I was either looking for a job in Mexico teaching or a job in China, as I'm half Chinese. I was like, that would be cool — to live there for a little bit. But I was a bit wary of what the experience would be like post-pandemic, so I went to Mexico instead.

I'm very glad to be in Mexico now. It's such a vibrant city. So culturally rich. The people are incredible. Street food on every corner, the climate — everything, you name it. It ticks every box. 

What sparked your decision to leave a stable teaching job for the uncertainty of starting a gelato business?

I worked in an International School here for two years, and then I just realized I’d lost the passion. I wasn't as burnt out as I was in London, but I was definitely still burnt out. I used to love teaching, and I still like it, but I wanted to do something for myself. 

I’d always wanted to do something in the foods and drinks industry, and I fucking love gelato. I literally just started Googling gelato courses when the kids were doing work sometimes. I found something called Gelato University in Bologna, and I was like, you know what, I’m actually going to do it. So I quit my teaching job at the end of the school year and went to Bologna for the month.  

I did the gelato course in October last year, and returned to Mexico. Since then, I’ve been setting up the business. Amorcita Gelato is now open, as of September!

Starting a business in a foreign country comes with its own set of challenges. What were some of the hurdles you faced, and how did you overcome them?

I got an accountant who helped me get set up. Bureaucracy in Mexico is wild, and I've been very lucky to find really good local people who’ve helped me with laws, permits, etc. 

Then I started looking for spaces to rent. That was a lot harder than I thought. You always see signs around saying ‘local para renta,’ but to actually find one that was a good price and a good location was tricky.  There's loads of ice cream shops, but not that many good gelato shops. 

I found a space in January that I loved. The aim was always to open in April, because rainy season in Mexico is from May to October. But it fell through and we lost three months. And then I found another space and started setting up the business, logo and branding, and so on. 

Most of what I've been doing has been recipe testing. I've actually been very blessed because I thought I’d need to teach Geography online on the side when I'm not working. But I've actually been blessed to do adverts. I'm with a casting agency here, so that's been my side hustle for the year.

Does Mexico have a well established gelato culture? 

There’s a massive ice cream culture. They call them Elados or Nieves — which literally translates to snow. It’s a water based sorbet which they churn and put salt around, and there's a culture of people selling them on the street. It's very traditional and super refreshing. 

So there is a big ice cream culture, but not so much gelato. A lot of people don't really know the difference. 

What inspires your gelato flavors? 

It's a mixture to be honest. I wanted to have some things that are traditional crowd pleasers — also as a nod to Italy. For example, the pistachio and the dark chocolate sorbet are very Italian flavors, and they’ve been very popular. 

"I wanted as low a carbon footprint as possible, which meant sourcing ingredients close to Mexico City. They’re all pretty much within a 100 mile radius of Mexico City, with the exception of this pistachio paste that I buy from Italy because it's so much better. I’ve also spent a lot of time finding suppliers — organic, where possible."

Our cream is from a really cute dairy in Guadalajara, and our milk is from an organic farm on the edge of Mexico City. One of our current flavors is mamey, which is a very popular Mexican fruit. So it's a mixture of classic Italian flavors, Mexican flavors, and my love for experimenting with new flavors.

The idea is also that the flavors change every few days, with the exception of the pistachio and the dark chocolate, because they’re our bestsellers, and cafe, cardamon and flor de naranja because it's award-winning. Right now we’ve got a salted caramel brownie flavor, which is really popular. Instead of using dulce de leche, I’ve been using the Mexican equivalent called cajeta, which is made with goat's milk. 

I entered this global gelato competition with a coffee, cardamom and orange blossom flavor. It actually came second in Mexico, so I was very chuffed about that. I literally entered on a whim and wasn’t expecting to come second, it was really validating. I'm actually heading to LA next year to compete in the North American finals. 

As a woman entrepreneur in a new culture, were there any unique experiences or lessons you learned?

My Spanish is still intermediate, not fluent. Some things do get lost in translation, which is hard. Luckily I have a great team. It was important to me that I hired mostly Mexican people to give back to the economy. 

I also have a great group of friends here. My friend Oscar did the design and he’s gone above and beyond, he also helped me find the workmen who actually did the shop. Overall, I really couldn’t have done it alone. 

Your gelato shop isn't just about the product, it's about creating an experience. How have you infused your personality and passion into the space?

I was inspired by other foreign owned businesses that people have set up locally. A friend of mine, Farah, who’s originally from Scotland, opened an amazing bagel spot called Bagels Lepu. There's also a woman called Tiara from Chicago. She's opened Blaxicocina, which is the first soul food restaurant in Mexico City.

Her space is a lot bigger than mine but she uses it to host cultural and community events — that's something I really want to move into. That's the joy when you've got a physical shop, you can use the space for so many different things. I’m definitely excited to host events in the future. 

Building community is so important. We’ve also been donating gelato to a local migrant camp, which we’re going to keep doing. 

Beyond the gelato, what are some of the unexpected joys and or challenges of living in Mexico City in general? 

I knew people would be welcoming here, but sometimes when you move to a new country, it's quite hard to feel integrated.

I do have a group of British friends from the school, and French friends because I used to live with some French guys. But then I've also got a group of Mexican friends and it is quite integrated, so I'd say that that's definitely a nice thing.

I also didn't expect to have such a good social life. The nightlife scene here is so amazing — I didn't expect to find R&B and hip hop nights, but there are, and it's so great. In terms of the social scene, it surpassed my expectations. And just the quality of life is incredible.

How has this experience shaped your perspective on life, travel, and business? 

When you get hired in an international school, you get a two year contract. So when I originally came to Mexico, I thought I'd do my two years and then go home. I love London. I never saw myself living away from London long term.

But now, honestly, no part of me wants to move back to London. I miss friends and family, but in terms of quality of life, I love Mexico. I can see myself here for the foreseeable future. So that's been a big shift in perspective.

What advice would you give to someone who's looking to move abroad and start their own business? 

Just go for it! You're always going to have hurdles along the way, and you're always going to have doubts. But at the end of the day, building something that's truly your own is a real honor. 

I will say that I think it's really important to be aware and culturally sensitive. Try not to stay in a complete bubble. A lot of where the resentment comes from with locals and foreigners is the digital nomads who are here because it's so much cheaper — and then not paying taxes. But, you know, that's a much wider issue. 

I don't want to say “follow your dreams” because that sounds super cheesy. But…follow your dreams!