Gajar halwa, til gud and more – city’s firm’s ice creams set to melt Middle East

Now, the company, which has a factory in Hadapsar, is setting up another one in Delhi as it gears up to go deeper into India with new flavours. Pune will also see new stores and franchises. A major move is to the Middle East, before NIC looks at expanding to other geographies. “The Middle East is a promising market in terms of size because, though it has a smaller population compared to metros in India, the rate of consumption is high. We have surveyed the market in terms of the brands available and what people like. We have a strong belief that our ice-creams will catch up over there,” says Sanjiv Shah, director of Walko Food, which owns the brand.

In India, the dominant players in the field are Amul — which is the biggest — Kwality Walls, Vadilal, Creambell and Naturals. There are also popular local brands in different regions that have existed for years, such as Arun Ice Cream in the south. NIC has a six-year-old story and its strength, which it is taking to other countries, has been proven in the varied Indian market. “Our ingredients are milk, sugar and the appropriate ingredient, such as mango during the season. Our popular points are flavours inspired by Indian desserts such as gulab jamun, sheer khurma, til gud and gajar halwa as well as the fruit and dry fruit variations of international flavours such as Mediterranean Sea Salted Caramel, Madagascar Chocolate and French Vanilla,” says Shah.

NIC’s small sugar-free range with two flavours will be expanded to six in a few months as “healthy eating is gaining ground in India and we are very conscious of getting into this space”. “We want to cater to all segments in the industry and delight diverse taste buds,” adds Shah.