Natural Ice Cream is an ice cream brand owned by Mangalore-based Kamaths Ourtimes Ice Creams Pvt. Ltd. It was founded by Raghunandan S Kamath who opened its first store at Juhu, Vile Parle (Mumbai) in 1984. The company manufactures under Kamaths Ourtimes and retail operations under its subsidiary company Kamaths Natural Retail Pvt. Ltd. Kamaths Ourtimes is an ISO 22000:2005 certified company.
Video Natural Ice Cream
Market
The chain currently has 135 stores across India, with 8 stores under direct control and the rest as franchised locations. The stores are present in key cities of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Telangana, Kerala, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi NCR Region. In the fiscal year 2014-2015, with a total retail area of 60,000 sq. ft, the chain's annual retail turnover crossed Rs. 115 crores.
Maps Natural Ice Cream
Production and trade
The brand's only production facility is situated in Charkop, a suburb of Kandivali in Mumbai, India. The company supplies to its own stores everyday, which is unique in the Indian ice cream industry. The company spends less than 1% of its sales revenues on advertising, relying instead upon brand recognition and word of mouth to attain revenues.
Products
Starting with around 10 flavours, today Natural Ice Cream has 125 flavour options, of which 20 are offered throughout the year. The set of flavours change according to seasons. Some of the seasonal flavors include litchi, fig, jackfruit and watermelon. A custard apple flavor is also purveyed by the brand.
Awards and recognition
In 2006, the brand received Corporation Bank's National SME's Excellence Award in the Food and Agro Industry. In February 2009, a Natural Ice Cream store located in the Juhu Ville Parle Development scheme placed in the Limca Book of Records for the largest ice cream slab, which weighed 3,000 kilograms. The brand was awarded as Best in Customer Service - Regional Retailer Of the Year in 2013. In 2014 the brand received the gold medal for most innovative ice cream flavour (cucumber) in the Great Indian Ice Cream Contest. In 2016, Natural Ice Cream was awarded for home grown concept in food service by Coca Cola Golden Spoon Awards and also received IMAGES Most Admired Food Service Chain of the Year in the Ice-cream & Dessert Parlours category.
See also
- List of ice cream brands
References
Further reading
- Madhok, Diksha (November 20, 2014). "This ice cream company conquered mithai-loving Indians with figs and custard apples". Quartz. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- "Food & Grocery retailer iOrderFresh inks strategic tie-up with Natural Ice Cream in Delhi NCR". The Economic Times. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- "How this idea has changed Mumbai". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- "Rajesh Khanna's dinner was never over without mithai, paan". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- "Natural ice cream to open first store in Delhi on Oct 15". The Indian Express. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- "Recipe for Success: Century and more for Kamath, natural ice cream king". FNB News.
External links
- Official website
- "Raghunandan S. Kamath: The ice-cream man". One India One People Foundation. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
Source of the article : Wikipedia