‘Ice cream man of India’ Raghunandan Kamath dies at 70

As soon as the news of his death spread, many paid tribute to the ‘ice cream man of India’ on social media. “A few years ago I did a top five ice cream brands of Mumbai feature for YouTube and I learned a great deal about the history of the Naturals Ice Cream brand I did not know and it made me appreciate their product even more,” wrote actress, writer and home chef Tara Deshpande on Instagram.

As the legend goes, a young 14-year-old Kamath boarded a train from Mangaluru (then Mangalore) and came to Mumbai (then Bombay). After working at his brother’s restaurant, Kamath had an idea — if ice creams have fruit flavours, why can’t they have real fruits. He decided to fill this void in the market. But unsure of whether customers would come, he began his business with serving pav-bhaji as the main dish and the ice cream as an add on.

His first ice cream parlour was launched in 1984 in Juhu, with the initial menu featuring around 12 flavours, each being a testament to the knowledge he acquired during the time he assisted his father in Mangaluru.

His story was captured expansively in ‘Intelligent Fanatics of India’, a book co-authored by Mumbai-based journalist Pooja Bhula.

“Mr Kamath’s demise is deeply saddening, not only because of long conversations we had when I was doing a chapter on Naturals for my book, but also because I grew up with it, my family is very fond of the ice creams,” Bhula told The Indian Express, adding that at the time he started, “kulfis ruled, ice creams were still a luxury largely available at restaurants, and ice creams with natural fruits were a rarity”.

“I don’t even know if they really existed, at least in Bombay, especially in the manner and flavours he dished them. But the secret behind that was that for him, ice creams weren’t the end, but the means to bring out the beauty of fruits, the love for which he picked up in childhood as a fruit vendor’s son and married it with the influence of his mom’s cooking,” shared Bhula. In her book, Bhula had noted that as much as Kamath was passionate, he also understood the risks he was taking and the gaps that existed and tweaked technology to get the desired result.

“As much as his ice creams, people will also remember him for his warmth, loyalty that was greatly reciprocated by his franchisees and allowed for the growth it saw thanks to rewarding relationships he created. Also, just his humility and sense of humour,” added Bhula.

Kamath is survived by his wife and two sons, including Siddhant, the director of Naturals.