How a small-time fruit vendor’s son built one of the most revered ice cream brands of India
Mega Thread on Raghunandan Kamath, the man behind Naturals Ice Cream
Would appreciate a Retweet as it helps us educate more investors and inspire us in producing more such content.
Mega Thread on Raghunandan Kamath, the man behind Naturals Ice Cream
Would appreciate a Retweet as it helps us educate more investors and inspire us in producing more such content.
1) Born in Mulki, Karnataka, in 1954, Raghunandan Kamath was the youngest of seven siblings.
2) Raghunandan's father was a small-time fruit vendor and earned scarcely to sustain his seven children and his wife's needs.
2) Raghunandan's father was a small-time fruit vendor and earned scarcely to sustain his seven children and his wife's needs.
3) He would often accompany his father to the field and sell the fruits in the market. During this period, Kamath learned how to spot quality, ripened fruits.
4) When he was 15, he moved to Mumbai and worked for his brother in an eatery as his family was not financially fit.
4) When he was 15, he moved to Mumbai and worked for his brother in an eatery as his family was not financially fit.
5) He lived with his family in a 12 by 12-foot room in Kohli in a chawl at Juhu.
6) After failing to clear his boards twice, Kamath was asked to join his eldest brother, who was running a South Indian eatery ‘Gokul Refreshments’ and sell their homemade ice cream.
6) After failing to clear his boards twice, Kamath was asked to join his eldest brother, who was running a South Indian eatery ‘Gokul Refreshments’ and sell their homemade ice cream.
7) Though he wanted to go beyond chocolate and vanilla flavors to make ice cream with real fruit pulp, his idea was not entertained by his brother.
8) After the brother's split, Raghunandan got some money from the restaurant and he decided to venture out on his own.
8) After the brother's split, Raghunandan got some money from the restaurant and he decided to venture out on his own.
9) Raghunandan set up a small shop in a 200-sq-ft space and six tables in the Juhu.
10)He began Naturals with six members. The flavors, colors, and texture of hand-made ice creams were different but he managed to sell almost 1,000 cups on the first weekend.
10)He began Naturals with six members. The flavors, colors, and texture of hand-made ice creams were different but he managed to sell almost 1,000 cups on the first weekend.
11) Fruit, sugar, and milk became Kamath’s USP. He had the task of not only surviving the competition but also ensuring his product stood out.
12) To do this, Kamath broke away from the conventional flavors and put his fruit expertise to use.
12) To do this, Kamath broke away from the conventional flavors and put his fruit expertise to use.
13) He used his father's knowledge of picking the ripest and sweetest fruits.
14) After a year, he stopped selling Pav Bhaji, and Naturals became a full-fledged ice cream brand.
14) After a year, he stopped selling Pav Bhaji, and Naturals became a full-fledged ice cream brand.
15) The company has invented some unconventional flavors like cucumber, prasadam (food consumed by worshippers), gajar halwa (carrot dessert), and tilgul (sesame candy), including some lip-smacking fruit flavors of chikoos, jackfruits, litchis, black grapes, figs, and watermelon.
16)Today Naturals now has 89 franchise outlets across West and South India: 47 in Mumbai, 29 in the neighboring urban clusters of Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Pune, and the rest scattered across select cities of Maharashtra and neighboring states.
17)Kamath was very observant as a child. He observed his mother closely when she used to prepare a variety of foods.
18)A good cook knows that there is no quick recipe for good food. His mother used to give him enough time to prepare a tasty meal.
18)A good cook knows that there is no quick recipe for good food. His mother used to give him enough time to prepare a tasty meal.
19)He also did the same in the ice cream business and invented different flavors through deep research and hard work.
20)From the very beginning, Naturals has stubbornly stuck to its niche.
20)From the very beginning, Naturals has stubbornly stuck to its niche.
21) Kamath has kept its quality high and its ice creams artisanal. No artificial flavoring, colors, or preservatives are used.
22)Natural Ice Cream's unique feature is that they contain only fresh fruit pulp or dry fruits. The ultimate reason for the brand's popularity.
22)Natural Ice Cream's unique feature is that they contain only fresh fruit pulp or dry fruits. The ultimate reason for the brand's popularity.
23)Over the years, he has created more than one hundred flavors, and, at any given time, his parlors stock 21 flavors, 65% of which are fruit-based.
24) Naturals are one of the few ice cream brands in the world to offer that many fruit flavors.
24) Naturals are one of the few ice cream brands in the world to offer that many fruit flavors.
26)Today, Naturals enjoy the highest revenues in the parlor segment compared to competitors, including giants like Baskin-Robbins and Haagen-Dazs.
27)There were no ‘MBA-level’ strategies employed by this daring businessman who simply wanted to sell fruit-flavored ice cream.
27)There were no ‘MBA-level’ strategies employed by this daring businessman who simply wanted to sell fruit-flavored ice cream.
28)By entering a niche segment such as the ice cream market, which was largely dominated by a handful of brands, Kamath took a huge risk but it paid off.
29)In the 2021 KPMG survey, Naturals were listed among the top 10 brands of customer experience.
29)In the 2021 KPMG survey, Naturals were listed among the top 10 brands of customer experience.
30) Kamath's inspiring story proves that you don't need to have an educational degree to develop a successful business model.
All you need is hard work, passion, and the ability to always learn.
Would appreciate a Retweet as it inspires us to create more such content.
All you need is hard work, passion, and the ability to always learn.
Would appreciate a Retweet as it inspires us to create more such content.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
