Keventers, The first Ever Made In India Brand

Who doesn’t like milkshakes? Who doesn’t like gourmet icecreams? I’m sure almost 90 percent of people on earth can’t get enough of both. Six years ago, Bangalore was introduced to milkshakes they have been able to get enough of even today. Keventers is a brand that made history with taste. It is a legacy dating back to 1925, synonymous with delicious dairy products and combining the feeling of nostalgia with the love for the modern.

A ‘Swe-deshi’ Brand 

While the tagline says since 1925, the story is much older. In 1889, a Swedish dairy entrepreneur and technologist made his way to India to pave the way and create a brand. In 1894, he took over the Aligarh Dairy Farm and started creating milk and milk products like cheese and butter. It was a natural fit since India is a largely milk-loving nation. 

Over the years, Keventers became massively popular for its fresh dairy products like milk, butter, cheese, and other items- the brand is also credited for coming up with the unique design for the Cassata ice cream which is a favorite among Indians to this day. The business gradually expanded to other cities in North and East India and the legacy continued.

In the midst of the freedom movement Edward, the Swedish entrepreneur had passed on, and his nephew sold the brand to Ramkrishna Dalmia, one of the leading industrialists at the time. The next decade was a difficult one. Chanakyapuri was to be turned into a diplomatic enclave, and the Keventers plant was one of the many land acquisitions of the area. 

The Revival

In 2015, Ramkrishna Dalmia’s grandson Agastya Dalmia and his long-time friend, Aman Arora, decided to revive the Keventers brand, albeit in a new shape and form. Now, Keventers had a new bottle, they had a new look, but the recipes would celebrate the past. It was an instant hit!

The duo was joined by restaurateur Sohrab Sitaram, who provided direction and mentorship. Since then, the brand has popped up all over the country. In 2017, Keventers went international, with outlets in Dubai and Kenya. Today, the brand has over 250 outlets across the map, and it has no plans of slowing down. To celebrate Summer and the craving to eat icecreams in winter Keventers just launched 6 new ice cream and milkshake flavors with sustainable packaging. They also have a pet-friendly store in Delhi. 

Meghana Harikumar for The Balcony Stories had an opportunity to speak to Agastya Dalmia about the brand and expansion. Below are the excerpts…  

What is Keventers for you?

Keventers is more than just a legacy brand. It’s unique in itself because it’s the only 100-year-old start-up this country has seen. It moves and adapts with the times, never forgetting the value its heritage brings, but always making sure it can appeal to all generations. Today, from milkshakes, it’s spreading its wings and entering the ice cream market as well!

What is with the name?

Keventers is named after Edward Keventer, the original founder who was responsible for modernizing India’s dairy industry starting in 1889.

At what point did you know this brand was going to be a hit?

Very soon into our journey, we realized that Keventers holds a very strong legacy & people relate to the brand with a sense of nostalgia. It was people’s love for Keventers that led us to reinvent, innovate and expand into new verticals. It helped us to successfully experiment with our new business models, which led us to where we are today.

Usually, a brand goes through an inflection point. Did that happen to the Keventers? If yes, how did you deal with it?

Keventers grew fast due to the demand for delicious, filling milkshakes, but it also managed to make its way into every single Indian household in some way or the other. Whether it was reusing the bottle as a water bottle, or turning it into a canvas for your creativity, that simple bottle has been the reason for true growth (and a lot of copycats!). In 2018, there was an attempt to drastically shift the branding into a very territory. Long story short, this didn’t work and we were back to keeping it simple and being transparent with our consumers.

What’s your favorite Keventers product?

We are currently dealing with a huge variety of milkshakes, coffee & ice cream. My personal favorite is the newly launched ice cream flavors and I would love for our customers to try them. These flavors are a delight to try out this summer season.

Throw some light on the expansion plans for Keventers?

We have recently launched 3 new flavors to our ice cream range this month, and have launched a new range of cold coffee flavors.  Keventers has also come up with its first-ever Cafe in Zirakpur. This cafe is an experience zone, where customers can dine in and enjoy the iconic Keventers milkshakes, cold coffees, and light bites. It makes this month quite exciting in terms of our growth and expansion.

Do you have a favorite life lesson quote?

“To the experts, what looks like hard work from the outside, is a play from the inside.”

― Naval Ravikant

Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”? The experience of eating the ice cream and candy you loved as a kid along with your loved ones.

Like any kid in India, ice cream and milkshakes were a huge part of my childhood, especially during the Delhi summers. It was then that I and Agastya decided to revive the brand in 2015, it was almost like a childhood dream come true for us. We understood the childhood nostalgia that Keventers held in people’s minds. Inspired by that we transformed the brand and launched a whole new vertical consisting of newly launched ice creams.

You started as a brand for milkshakes, now ice creams. What next?

As per the response of our customers, we will continue experimenting with new formats. Our next goal is to launch more Keventers cafes in India so that our customers can get a perfect dine-in experience with their friends and family.

How do you come up with flavors? From start to end.

We have a pretty exhaustive process. From the inception of the idea, which is centered around what our consumers would like, to what is a new and exciting idea – we gather all the information we can. After that, we go through multiple rounds of trials and feedback until we have something every single person in our organization would love. It’s the hope that if all of us love it, then our customers will too.