Amul, which has scooped the biggest market share, has all its plants running at full capacity. Jayen Mehta, MD, Amul said, “We have eight ice cream plants in Gujarat and a total 25 in the country, all running at full capacity since Feb because we create stock to meet peak demand. The demand in May has been good and people in urban areas also order ice cream through food delivery platforms, so sales remain high almost the entire year.”
R S Sodhi, president, Indian Dairy Association (IDA) said, “The demand for ice cream has increased significantly this year. Prices of various ingredients have been under control due to which margins have improved for manufacturers. Gujarat has a daily capacity of 18-20 lakh and has seen 15-20% capacity addition in the last one year.”
Bhupat Bhuva, chairman, Gujarat Ice Cream Association said, “All manufacturers have seen good demand during the month of May, with demand increasing by 15%. With increased electrification, demand in rural areas too has gone up. Due to the high demand, delivery to some parts has been delayed. Stable prices and launch of new flavours have expanded the market.”
Ankit Chona, founder and managing director, Hocco Ice Creams, said, “This year’s summer has been excellent as far as the demand is concerned. Our plant is running 24 hours at 100% capacity utilization. However, the intense heat has gravely impacted logistics and storage venues, which is a challenge we’re tackling. For entire May, our average ice cream sales stood at 50,000 litres per day.”
According to Chona, quick commerce platforms have propelled sales this season. “In the first year itself, 4% of our total sales comes from quick commerce platforms, which have given a major thrust to revenues of several ice cream companies,” he explained.
