The Business Problem

Kulfi is one of India’s most traditional frozen desserts. Dense, creamy, and packed with nostalgia. Yet despite its cultural weight, it had never become a national brand. While ice creams were colourful, light, and kid friendly, kulfi remained a product of the past. Loved by adults, ignored by children, and dismissed as messy, local, and inconsistent.

Our client had scaled kulfi to 15 cities through food delivery apps and dark stores. But the big question remained. How do we position kulfi as a modern indulgence and build India’s first national kulfi brand?

What We Uncovered

Consumers respected kulfi’s taste, texture, and tradition. They saw it as fresher, less processed, and more authentic than ice cream. But it was not a part of regular purchase habits. It lacked a moment. It was consumed after weddings, post dinner parties, or during late night cravings. Nobody stocked it at home. Nobody trusted its quality online.

And kulfi was being diluted by kulfi flavoured ice creams that mimicked the name but not the experience. The category lacked codes. Brands were competing not just on taste, but on definition.

The Strategic Shift

We realised the client had to build not just a brand, but the entire category. We mapped kulfi versus mithai and ice cream across planned versus impulse, indulgence versus celebration. Kulfi emerged as high impulse and high indulgence, but lacked a trigger moment.

We proposed a new role. Anchor kulfi to post dinner indulgence. Give it an everyday occasion. Turn it from impulse to intent. Own a habit, not just a flavour.

How We Brought the Positioning to Life

We crafted a habit loop. The trigger was the end of a meal. The craving was something sweet. The response was kulfi. The reward was satisfaction.

We helped the client codify what kulfi stood for and when it should be consumed. Not just heritage and nostalgia. But everyday indulgence. A way to unwind. A modern ritual that is satisfying, sensory, and deeply Indian.

What Changed

The client now owns a powerful consumption moment. They are not competing with ice cream or mithai. They are creating a lane of their own. The positioning lets them build consistent messaging, sharper formats, and stronger memory structures. It sets up kulfi not as a challenger, but as a category of its own.