A mouthful of summer

Last year, when frozen treats took a hit, a B2B dairy brand began making ice creams to survive. And the gamble paid off

A mouthful of summer

Salted caramel and Tiramisu

In 2016, American president Joe Biden publicly proclaimed his love for ice cream. In his own words, spoken at the headquarters of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream in May 2016: “My name is Joe Biden, and I love ice cream.” The then-Vice President added: “You all think I’m kidding—I’m not. I eat more ice cream than three other people you’d like to be with, all at once.”

Blueberry cheesecake

Although the frozen treat has plenty of ardent fans, its popularity dipped sharply globally when the Coronavirus pandemic descended on the world last year. Industry experts in India believe that apart from lockdown restrictions, ice cream sales were affected by the misplaced fear that ice cream and frozen treats make one susceptible to COVID-19. Mercifully, wisdom has prevailed and ice cream brands are now reportedly witnessing double digit growth against the pre-COVID sale levels of 2019.

Last September, when the meltdown was still a reality, Robin Chatterjee, an entrepreneur from Mumbai, went against the grain and launched Sooper. His family runs a micro dairy unit called Caro. “The pandemic and the ensuing lockdown stalled our business. The segment shrunk and this forced us to be reactive. We had always wanted to venture into ice cream, but this peculiar situation compelled us to pivot from B2B to B2C almost immediately.” Sooper, then, was born from the need to survive. Chatterjee believes ice cream is a science as much as it is an art. “Owning the entire production line allows us to monitor the quality at various stages, from milking, storing to transportation, and production. Moreover, adulteration is very common in the milk business; sometimes what you read is not what you get. We were able to avert this.” This writer called for the ice cream on a day when the heat index had hit a new high.

While the brand launched with classics such as Belgian chocolate, salted caramel, and hazelnut brownie, the menu has now been expanded to include Alphonso mango (Rs 140 for 250 ml), white chocolate raspberry (Rs 175) , rocky road (a mix of roasted hazelnuts, marshmallows, dark chocolate shavings, smarties and lotus biscoff) for Rs 200, and tiramisu (served with brownie, Italian biscuit and a dark chocolate fudge sauce) for Rs 185. The mango, speckled with soft and bright yellow-orange fruity bits, was aesthetically pleasing even in its fully frozen state. We let it thaw a little and it gained a deliciously smooth texture. It’s amazing how a simple flavour can be deeply satisfying.

Robin Chatterjee

We didn’t quite know what to expect from the white chocolate raspberry. Being dark chocolate lovers, the idea of sampling its paler cousin wasn’t appealing. Interestingly, despite the title, the white chocolate did not overpower. It almost felt like a secret ingredient, tucked snugly under a blanket of cream. If it’s a seriously luxurious scoop you’re after, we suggest the salted caramel. It is an instant pick-me-up. What was common to the flavours we sampled was consistent texture. And like pastry, these ice creams come with toppings. For instance, the blueberry cheesecake was served with blueberry jam and cheesecake crust. Chatterjee, who is buoyed by the consumer response, says people often ask him, how is your ice cream so creamy? “It’s because of the goodness of the milk, which isn’t stored for long.”

To order: @getmesooper, Instagram
Call: 8657437370

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