From sugar-free to vegan, the healthy ice cream brand Go Zero let consumers enjoy their favourite scoop with zero guilt
Bengaluru: The Covid-19 pandemic played a major role in changing consumer habits and making people more conscious about their dietary choices. Consequently, the demand for healthy foods increased, creating an opportunity for Kiran Shah (whose family owns the famous Apsara Ice Creams) to launch Go Zero. From sugar-free to vegan, Go Zero offers ice creams that let you enjoy your favourite scoop with zero guilt.
The beginning
“Ice cream has always been a product that people consume primarily for taste. Back when I was starting Go Zero, a few brands were offering healthier options in ice creams—mainly in the ‘no added sugar’ category. But the overall category [of healthy ice creams] was relatively small,” says Kiran Shah, Founder, Go Zero. The brand was conceptualised by Kiran in 2021 with the vision to make dessert-eating a guilt-free experience for everyone. “I had already scaled my family business of Apsara Ice Creams and was looking to start a second brand.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought about a lot of change in the way my own family consumed ice creams and desserts. But for us Indians, the craving to have something sweet after meals or just on impulse is a habit forged over decades and so is difficult to change. Hence, I got the idea of creating a guilt-free dessert brand,” shares Kiran. Customers can binge on Go Zero products without the worry of loading themselves with sugar, calories or anything harmful to their health.
Focus on innovation
Kiran calls the healthy ice cream category a by-product of innovation. “Sugar and dairy have traditionally been the core ingredients of ice creams, but healthy ice cream brands strive to eliminate both from their products,” adds Kiran. Having worked at Apsara Ice Creams, Kiran had a fair understanding of how sugar plays its part in the taste, texture and other metrics in ice creams and which alternative ingredients can be used to maintain the same taste and consistency while cutting down on the calories.
When it comes to ice creams, at Go Zero, the team has curated a range of products across various sub-categories to cater to the needs ofconsumers. Consumers concerned about the high amount of sugar and calories in regular ice creams can opt for an ice cream from Go Zero’s zero-sugar – low-calorie range. “Then there are consumers who want to increase their protein intake. Such consumers, especially if they are vegetarians, would love to have a dessert with extra protein. For them, we have a zero sugar – high protein range,” explains Kiran. A lot of people are now adopting a vegan lifestyle, or maybe are lactose intolerant. For them, Go Zero has a vegan collection of completely zero-dairy ice creams.
The brand will also be launching a keto series with each ice cream in the range containing less than 5 grams of net carbs. “Go Zero is probably the only brand right now which offers such a wide range of zero-guilt ice creams. And we will keep innovating and adding more products in the future, after looking at the trends and listening to our consumers,” conveys Kiran.
Outlook for the future
The healthy ice cream category is projected to grow faster than the regular ice cream category. This is not surprising, as, in the past couple of years, the category has seen more players entering and capital investment pouring in to help these brands grow. “More brands entering this space will help accelerate its growth—more competition is good for this category at the moment. The marketing and promotional activities undertaken by the brands will create more awareness about the benefits of consuming healthy ice creams,” says Kiran. The future of this category, he continues, seems very promising, and he expects a good 5-7 years ahead.
Go Zero began its journey with a launch in the Mumbai and Pune markets, and in the coming months, the plan is to launch in cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi-NCR. “The biggest consumer base is in the top 8-10 cities of India, so it makes sense for us to first tap into these markets. Our growth will also come from more product and category innovations—we plan to launch some exciting products in our vegan collection and keto series,” reveals Kiran.
Brownie Points
- Go Zero is probably the only brand right now which offers a wide range of zero-guilt ice creams.
- Customers can binge on the brand’s products without the worry of loading themselves with sugar, calories or anything harmful to their health.
- To get more and more consumers to try its products, Go Zero runs launch offers, buy-one- get-one schemes, etc. So far, the brand has had a largely positive response and with the festive season kicking in, it is bound to get more awareness and trials.
First appeared in The India D2C Yearbook 2022
