Some businesses have seen over 50% growth this season, and the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the industry over the last two years.
After two washed-out years, the ice cream industry has reason to rejoice as products are flying off the shelves. People are increasingly turning to ice cream for relief as heatwaves sweep the country.
According to the Indian Ice Cream Manufacturers’ Association (IICMA), the industry is increasing at a 15% annual pace this year. This season, several businesses have experienced growth of more than 50%. In the previous two years, the COVID-19 epidemic has wreaked havoc on the sector.
According to IICMA, the estimated annual Indian ice cream market is between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 15,000 crores, with a loss of 50-70 percent. Sudhir Shah, president of the IICMA, stated, “Many small businesses have been wiped out as a result of COVID. They are permanently shuttered.”
He goes on to say that this year’s demand has outstripped supply, and producers are unable to meet it owing to a lack of accurate market demand prediction. However, he adds that some businesses are able to fulfil demand during the present season, allowing them to increase by 50%.
While official data for this year’s sales is not yet available, Shah says that the projected statistics for the current year’s Indian ice cream industry is about Rs. 25,000 crores. According to experts, if this trend continues, the sector will finally witness its first good season of ice cream sales in three years.
Naturals Ice Cream is up 40-50% year on year compared to the pre-pandemic year (2019). Director Siddhant Kamath (Kamaths Ourtimes Ice Creams Pvt. Ltd.) “We anticipate that the 40-50 percent growth will continue this quarter. New markets are also helping to drive growth “According to the firm.
Sales at retail analytics platform Bizom nearly tripled in April compared to the previous year. According to Bizom, whereas March this year saw a 1.4x increase over the same month last year, April saw a 3.2x increase.
“The warmest March in over 100 years and continued heatwaves across broad sections of India mean that consumers are consuming much bigger volumes of these products,” says Akshay D’Souza, chief of growth and insights at Bizom.