Steady rise in mercury prompts ice cream firms to bring forward summer launches

Pune: With winter taking a backseat earlier than expected and the mercury shooting up well beyond 30°C as early as Jan-end, people are frequenting ice cream parlours to beat the heat.
Anticipating a surge in sales, ice cream makers are bringing forward the launch of new flavours in the market. Companies like Amul, Mother Dairy, and Havmor will launch 13-15 variants of ice cream this summer.Many are planning launches in Feb-end due to the harsh weather.
With summer expected to be hotter than usual this year, experts are predicting a 25-30% surge in demand for ice cream this season.
Banking professional Monica Advani said that instead of going to tea stalls during office breaks, many office workers prefer having ice cream after lunch to cool down in the heat. Some order ice creams online in the afternoon as it is too hot even to go outside.
"We have the advantage of an early season this year. In southern India, the summer sets in early, so we have already started investing in advertising and brand building. We will also be promoting big packs like the two-litre packs for home consumption," said Jayen Mehta, MD, Amul.
"With the early onset, we expect a significant surge in demand for categories like ice creams and curd," Manish Bandlish, MD, Mother Dairy, told TOI. The company will roll out 25 new offerings from this month onwards and is well prepared to handle the demand.
Ice cream companies are also ramping up production and rolling out new offers and promotional deals. For instance, Havmor Ice Cream is planning to launch innovative flavours this month featuring Indian Premier League (IPL). The brand is the ice cream partner of IPL team Gujarat Titans.
Lotte Wellfood Co, which owns Havmor, has also launched a four-layered ice cream, with jelly, ice cream, coating, and biscuits, Komal Anand, MD, Havmor Ice Cream India, said.
Amul increased its capacity by more than 50% in a year, and preparation for distribution expansion was done in advance.
"Families in our area are going to parlours late in the evening to escape the heat. However, many diet-conscious people prefer ice creams with lower calories," Warje resident Raviraj Burse said.
Pune: With winter taking a backseat earlier than expected and the mercury shooting up well beyond 30°C as early as Jan-end, people are frequenting ice cream parlours to beat the heat.
Anticipating a surge in sales, ice cream makers are bringing forward the launch of new flavours in the market. Companies like Amul, Mother Dairy, and Havmor will launch 13-15 variants of ice cream this summer. Many are planning launches in Feb-end due to the harsh weather.
With summer expected to be hotter than usual this year, experts are predicting a 25-30% surge in demand for ice cream this season.
Banking professional Monica Advani said that instead of going to tea stalls during office breaks, many office workers prefer having ice cream after lunch to cool down in the heat. Some order ice creams online in the afternoon as it is too hot even to go outside.
"We have the advantage of an early season this year. In southern India, the summer sets in early, so we have already started investing in advertising and brand building. We will also be promoting big packs like the two-litre packs for home consumption," said Jayen Mehta, MD, Amul.
"With the early onset, we expect a significant surge in demand for categories like ice creams and curd," Manish Bandlish, MD, Mother Dairy, told TOI. The company will roll out 25 new offerings from this month onwards and is well prepared to handle the demand.
Ice cream companies are also ramping up production and rolling out new offers and promotional deals. For instance, Havmor Ice Cream is planning to launch innovative flavours this month featuring Indian Premier League (IPL). The brand is the ice cream partner of IPL team Gujarat Titans.
Lotte Wellfood Co, which owns Havmor, has also launched a four-layered ice cream, with jelly, ice cream, coating, and biscuits, Komal Anand, MD, Havmor Ice Cream India, said.
Amul increased its capacity by more than 50% in a year, and preparation for distribution expansion was done in advance.
"Families in our area are going to parlours late in the evening to escape the heat. However, many diet-conscious people prefer ice creams with lower calories," Warje resident Raviraj Burse said.