Ice-cream makers hope to scoop up 30% more sales

April-June contribute to 50% of the annual sales for most ice-cream makers

As the country sizzles, the demand for icecream is set to skyrocket, with manufacturers and industry associations predicting a 30 per cent sales growth this financial year.

“Usually the ice-cream market grows at 12-15 per cent every year. This year has started with a bang. With the summer temperatures peaking at many places, sales of most ice-cream brands are expected to see a growth of 20-30 per cent,” said RS Sodhi, President, Indian Dairy Association (IDA), the apex body of the industry.

The summer months from April to June contribute 50 per cent of the annual sales for most ice-cream manufacturers. Unseasonal rains during the summer months last year impacted the sales. But this year, the scales have tilted back.

The Indian ice-cream market’s size is around ₹16,000 crore, of which ₹11,000 crore comes from the organised segment comprising 125odd small and big brands, with Amul being the leader.

Hocco ice-creams of

Gujarat is operating its unit at 120 per cent of capacity to meet the summer demand.

“We are a new company. We started in October 2023. We are currently selling over 50,000 litres of ice-cream every day. About 98 per cent of this is being sold in Gujarat, and some in Mumbai and Delhi. We are now starting in Bengaluru and Hyderabad,” said Ankit Chona, Managing Director of the company which floated the Hocco brand after selling its ‘Havmor’ brand of ice-creams to South Korea’s Lotte Confectionery in 2017.

NO PRICE RISE

Experts also point out that ice-cream brands have not increased prices this year. “This year, the prices of milk solids including SMP, white butter and packaging costs have decreased by 20 per cent compared to last year. But so this year, no brand has increased the price of ice-creams,” Sodhi said.

Chona from Hocco icecreams points out that apart from cocoa, prices of all inputs for the ice cream industry have remained “stable”.

Another popular ice cream brand, Vadilal Enterprises, has been operating its plants at Gandhinagar and Uttar Pradesh at more than 100 per cent capacity this summer.

“Ice-cream sales have been good this summer. We are already seeing a 15 per cent growth,” said Devanshu Gandhi, promoter of Vadilal Industries.