Mövenpick ice cream, known to be a product made by chefs for chefs, has a strong focus on the hospitality segment in India, along with growth in the retail sector. “The hotel industry is extremely important for us. We have currently tied up with most of the luxury hotels, where we offer our product and other solution to help promote ice cream in their respective hotels,” said Tarun Sikka, managing director, Star Foods Speciality. Star Foods is the exclusive store partner and distributor in India for Mövenpick.
Pointing out that one of the ethos of the brand is that Mövenpick is a product for gastronomy, Sikka added, “Initially when Mövenpick ice cream started, it was known as product made by chefs for chefs. This is something we follow today and we have a lot of focus on this.”
In the long term the company sees a lot potential in the Indian market as the Indian customer is becoming more global everyday and is able to even better differentiate between price and quality. “We see ourselves focusing on growing in all segments which include hospitality (HoReCa) and our cafe/boutique model,” mentioned Sikka.
Following the launch of its first ice cream boutique in Juhu, Mumbai, the company has plans to further concentrate its efforts in Mumbai and Delhi on account of the potential in these cities. “However we would also like to look at cities like Chandigarh, Pune and Hyderabad, where we believe there are extremely good opportunities,” stated Sikka.
Mövenpick ice cream as a product is unique and has many attributes which makes it stand out. “In India we are offering Mövenpick mainly through our Dessert Cafes which serve our ice cream along with different dessert options and coffee. We are looking at offering our customers not just an European product but an experience which is the same as any other Mövenpick store in Europe and Australia,” said Sikka. The latest menu which offers the ice cream being paired with various desserts, waffles and pancakes.
