From Mangoes To Millions: How Raghunandan Kamath Built Naturals Into Rs 300 Crore Ice Cream Brand
The son of a modest mango vendor in a small Karnataka village, Raghunandan Kamath founded Naturals Ice Cream, which has since expanded to become a business worth over Rs 300 crore.
For most people, especially those without any academic experience, starting a successful business from scratch with little funding and without promoting your brand is an impossible feat. However, Raghunandan Kamath, the son of a modest mango vendor in a small Karnataka village, accomplished this enormous undertaking and founded Naturals Ice Cream, which is now worth more than Rs 300 crore.
Know About Raghunandan Kamath, The Founder of Naturals Ice Cream
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Raghunandan Kamath was raised assisting his father in selling mangoes in his humble hamlet of Mangaluru, Karnataka, where he was born. Raghunandan Kamath was not interested in school as a child and dropped out at the age of 14. He then began working at a small restaurant owned by his older brother.
Raghunandan Kamath came up with the concept of making ice cream from natural ingredients utilizing actual fruit pulp at a young age after learning the fine art of picking ripe fruit and persevering with it.
A year after quitting school, in 1984, Raghunandan Kamath relocated to Mumbai in pursuit of better prospects, where he began the process of starting a very successful ice cream business.
When Raghunandan Kamath first opened his little ice cream parlour in Vile Parle, a neighbourhood of the Juhu scheme, he had just six employees, including himself. Serving 12 ice cream flavours created from natural fruit pulp, such as mango, jackfruit, and watermelon, the establishment quickly became famous among both locals and visitors.
According to the company website, Raghunandan Kamath was inspired by his mother’s methods and created inventive machinery to guarantee uniformity and expedite manufacturing.
Our thoughts on the sad demise of our patron and founder of Naturals Ice Cream, Late (Shri) Raghunandan Kamath. Indeed a very sad and unfortunate day for us. Regards,The Naturals Family. Date: 18th May, 2024. pic.twitter.com/6x5guC5ae8
— Natural Ice Cream (@Naturalicecream) May 18, 2024
Although it is said that Raghunandan Kamath never used commercials to market his brand, his ice cream gained notoriety in 1986 when West Indian cricketing great Sir Vivian Richards lavished praise on it, thereby establishing Kamath’s ice cream parlour as a household name.
In 1994, Kamath established five more outlets in Mumbai as the demand for his delicious ice cream continued to rise. However, he claims that he never utilised any marketing or promotions to publicise his brand, instead depending on the distinct natural flavour of his ice cream to draw in customers.
Kamath’s Naturals Ice Cream has expanded over the years to become one of India’s biggest ice cream producers, with over 165 locations in 15 cities and more than 125 ice cream flavours.
Naturals Ice Cream was founded as a small ice cream business by a man who had nothing but tenacity and hard work to support his aspirations. Today, it is worth over Rs 300 crore, which is a tremendous accomplishment.
Following a brief illness, Raghunandan Kamath passed away in May of last year. His age was 75.
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