Currently, the over 40-year-old brand, operates more than 170 outlets across 15 states in India
Bengaluru: Mumbai-based ice cream brand Naturals Ice Cream, owned by Kamaths Ourtimes Ice Creams, plans to operate more than 200 stores by the end of 2025, a top company official told IndiaRetailing.
Currently, the over-40-year-old brand operates more than 170 outlets across 15 states in India.
“We plan to open 30 new stores across tier-1 and tier-2 cities, which will increase our total store count to over 200 by the end of 2025,” said Siddhant Kamath, Director of Naturals Ice Cream and the second-generation entrepreneur who joined the family business in 2013. “While Chennai and Lucknow have been finalised for new store openings, certain adjoining tier-2 cities are also being considered.”
Naturals’ top three retail strategies for 2025 focus on 3 Ps—product, place, and promotion.
“We anticipate an increase in demand and the emergence of new sales channels in 2025; hence, our primary focus is on scaling our production capacity. Simultaneously, we are planning to expand our ice cream portfolio through both product and line extension strategies,” Kamath added.
In 2024, the company focused on in-store campaigns with new flavours during key occasions such as foundation day, berry season, mango season, Diwali, Christmas, and New Year.
This year, it plans to launch regional fruit-based flavours, including kubani ice cream in Hyderabad and jackfruit ice cream in the Konkan region, aiming to strengthen its connection with local communities and promote the brand.
Recently, the company introduced ice cream vending machines at seven locations to explore automation and ensure 24/7 availability. These received a positive response, particularly during non-operational hours, and also helped manage crowds during peak times.
Moreover, Naturals will undertake a revamp of its retail parlours, focusing on improvements in ambience, branding, and overall service. It will initially be implemented in Chennai and subsequently extended to all stores across India.
The ice cream chain plans to strategically invest in brand building and the supply chain to support these strategies.
To expand its online presence, it is also exploring quick commerce and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). It will also focus on achieving higher year-on-year (YoY) growth on existing food aggregator platforms.
Naturals’ revenue dropped from Rs 166.85 crore in the fiscal year (FY) 2020 to Rs 93.14 crore in 2021 but rebounded strongly to close FY 2024 at Rs 294.02 crore. The brand now aims to achieve Rs 500 crore in revenue by FY 2027.
“We have experienced an overall YoY growth of 10%–15% in 2024. We anticipate 20% overall growth and around 15% YoY same-store sales growth (SSSG) in 2025 as we scale supply and open new locations concurrently,” Kamath further added.
Naturals Ice Cream was established in 1984 by Raghunandan Srinivas Kamath who is affectionately called the ‘Ice Cream Man of India.’ At the age of 14, he left his studies to join his brother’s eatery, driven by a dream to make ice cream with real fruit pulp.
Kamath opened his first 200 sq. ft. ice cream parlour in Juhu in 1984, featuring an initial menu of around 12 flavours. The company pioneered fruit-based flavours like sitaphal, tender coconut, jackfruit, muskmelon, and kala jamun in India.
Naturals is known for its minimalistic approach to advertising and relies on word-of-mouth marketing since its inception. The company spends less than 1% of its sales revenues on advertising, as per media reports.
