India’s Ice Cream Boom: From Global Leaders’ Favorite Treat to a Rs 50,000 Crore Industry:

For a long time, ice cream has maintained a special place in the hearts of world rulers. From taking photos while buying cones to indulging in timeless vanilla-covered chocolate pie, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump sure do love ice cream. Even Barack Obama scooped ice cream at Baskin Robbins for his first job. Jefferson, on the other hand, even wrote an entire recipe for ice cream.

Ice cream is indeed a delicacy in India, but it is also a fast-growing industry. It has seasonal restrictions, unlike other regions of the world. In fact it has become a widespread consumption item across the globe.

An Everlasting Craze: Ice Cream in India

With data from Swiggy Food, it’s evident that February and March are peak seasons. There’s a sharp increase in orders during offseason. Apart from a slight decrease in January and December, there is rightfully no indication to consider ice cream a seasonal treat.

The Indian ice cream industry is projected to hit ₹50,000 crores after a decade of consistent growth. While still on the lower side in terms of consumption per capita, the prospective growth in brand investment makes it much more appealing.

New Brands and Digital Delivery Fuel Growth

Kwality Wall’s (now a separate listed entity under Hindustan Unilever) has also been joined by NIC, Go Zero, Hangyo, Dairy Classic, Hocco, NOTO, and Minus 30 which are shifiting the markert preception as well as the market growth.

The rise of quick commerce and food delivery applications like Swiggy have also fueled this growth. Brands have better accessibility and reach, and with smaller scoop based portions of ice cream, consumers can mix and match a wide range of flavors without being locked to large tubs.

Naturals, Giani’s, Nirula’s, K. Rustom, Dinshaw’s, Apsara, and Corner House as well as Cream Stone have emerged as popular outlets on Swiggy. Frequently, the platform observes cross milenial consumer debates over nuances like milk versus milk solids and gelato versus sorbet which indicates a more exploratory audience.

Top Markets and Surprising Trends

Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Goa are the the top cities for ordering ice cream. These 5 states also account for one-third of ice cream consumption in India: Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Goa, and Rajasthan.

A passionate brand advocate out of Mumbai even ordered 310 individual servings of ice cream during a six week span in March and April. These brand agnostic behaviors strongly indicates the demand side of the market is accepting of diverse configurations of kept boxes.

Ice cream is mostly ordered for delivery at dinner, peak hours being the most busy.

Preference Tastes: More than just Vanilla and Strawberry.

Newer preferences come to the forefront with the aid of delivery app sales, even though simplistic flavors like Vanilla and Butterscotch continue to rule over tub and brick sales.

According to Swiggy’s data, mango, chocolate, tender coconut, and sitaphal(custard apple) top the list in terms of scoop based servings. Other Indian favorite flavors include fig, guava, pistachio, chikoo, honey, lychee, and even paan—flavors that are distinctively Indian.

The Furture: Hot Icecream anyone?

With the rate at which India’s ice cream sector is becoming more innovative and adaptive to consumer preferences, the “possibilities are limitless.” As Swiggy’s Food division head put it for the Indian Docklands gelato makers, they could serve iced wonders as if they were living Dahl’s famed confectioner.