Forever Yogurt introduces winter delights

Franchise India's International Arm FranGlobal brings Canada’s most popular brand ‘Dipsidoo’ in India. Dipsidoo is a Dessert Café servingrich and tasty delectable cuisine like Super Milkshakes, Cloud Cones, Churros, Crepes, sundae, funnel cakes, smoothies, bubble waffle sticks Pops accompanied with Frozen Yogurt that adds for a unique signature treat.

FranGlobal, which has the master franchise right for the brand in India plans to launch 250 outlets PAN India in three major store modes like Sit in Large Store Model, Express Store and Kiosk Model.

Tariq Ahmed, CEO, Dipsidoo said, “After successfully catering delightful experience to the customers in North America, we are very elated to bring our unique taste of innovative Dessert Bar tolocal epicureans. Our menu ranges from mouthwatering assortments of Super Milkshakes, Cloud Cones, Churros, Crepes, Unicorn Sundae, Funnel Cakes, Smoothies, Bubble Waffle Sticks Pops accompanied with our Frozen Yogurtand other cool drinks. The food industry in India has been thriving in the current times, owing to the increasing disposable earnings of the middle class, growing young population, working women and their chaotic schedules. Evolution in Food and Beverage industry in India will provide great business expansion for our brand.”

Venus Barak, CEO, FranGlobal said,“We are ecstatic to welcome this exciting new venture – Dipsidoo in India.  The market value is estimated to gradually increase through the years, reaching about over 40 billion Indian rupees in 2020.   There is a pool of opportunities to delve into for elevating food & beverage business and staying on top with changing customer needs. Today’s consumer looks for relevance in a brand and is highly conscious buyers and dessert is considered to be the hottest and the most attractive snack. We plan to launch 250 outlets at PAN India level in three major store modes like Sit in Large Store Model, Express Store and Kiosk Model. We are looking for a total investment of 200 to 250 Crores in the next 10 years.The foray of Indian restaurants into a variety of global cuisines is having a positive impact on the F&B sector. Customers are more willing to experiment with different cuisines because it is now easily accessible in the cities they live in, and this trend could also increase Indian consumers’ frequency of eating out.”

Gaurav Marya, Chairman, Franchise India said, “We are happy to welcome Canada’s favorite brand ‘Dipsidoo’ in India.  The Indian Food and Beverage (F&B) service Industry is one of the most vibrant industries that has seen unprecedented growth in the recent past and continues to expand rapidly.This has attributed to the changing demographics, upsurge in disposable incomes, urbanisation and growth of organised retail. The F&B sector has evolved over the past decade, giving rise to exciting new concepts in food and beverage offerings and new and innovative service elements.Consumers are now spending as high as 51% of their income on food products. Consumers are opting for healthy options at the supermarket as well. The foray of Indian restaurants into a variety of global cuisines is having a positive impact on the F&B sector”

How the idea of frozen dessert came across you and why have you decided to develop this as a business?

Settled in Canada, I always wanted to come back to my home country and introduce a concept which was new for the Indian market and provided an experience much better than what we have witnessed from the domestic market. When I went into Menchie’s for the first time, I instantly fell in love with the concept and the product. I immediately thought of how it would fit the Indian market and decided to provide the best frozen yogurt experience to the Indian consumers.

People mostly opt for big name when it comes to desserts, who all are your target audience and where do you want to see Menchie’s in future?

We do not believe in target audiences. We believe in developing a brand which appeals to everyone across all categories. We at Menchie’s believe in creating a brand and twenty years from today I would like our young guests to remember how Menchie’s had been a part of their life from the beginning. I want to provide the same experience to someone who is in their fifties by providing them a happy and healthy environment and make Menchie’s their spot to relax, have some amazing family time and eat healthy frozen desserts.

How has been the response from the customers so far?

The response has been very good from all the guests that have come in. Everyone loves the fact that they make their own mix, put toppings which they like unlike the traditional full serve models where you are made to consume products a certain way. Our guests love the variety we have at the same time serving a healthier product in comparison to ice-cream. The ownership our guests get at our stores is unlike any other. Menchie’s to our guests is like their own home since they do and put what they like and not what we tell them to.

What new taste or flavors are you planning to bring this coming season?

We are working on a variety of indigenous flavors to cater to someone who might want to have that desi taste once in a while. We are constantly working on new flavors and are planning to come up with 10 new flavors this year which will take our flavor count to a total of 90.

What are your expansion plans and exactly what numbers are you looking at in terms of store count and turnover?

We are planning a pan India expansion. We like to move slow, study the market and make sure we strike the right chord with our potential guests and expansion is just an after effect once you do things right.

Online food ordering apps have certainly grabbed the customers in restaurant industry. Does it hampering your sales?

It has definitely changed the trend of the market and we acknowledge its existence. However, we believe there is a market for all the segments. If there are consumers who would like to have their food delivered at home, you have an equal or a bigger number of consumers looking to make it a family day or just going places with friends and sitting down together to have a cup of dessert at let’s say Menchie’s. We are however working on a delivery model which we should be in a position to introduce early next year for specific markets where we realize the need for home delivery.

What is your current turnover and what is your expectation for the next financial year?

It might seem a little different but I do not keep a tab on the turnover. My focus is always to do the right things and numbers would follow. Being an avid cricket fan, I like to just play my game without focusing on any target of any sort because I believe if your ultimate goal is to make money and focus on the turnover that would be the one thing you would never be able to achieve in life. I am focused on creating more smiles this financial year and even more the next financial year.  

Seeing a huge void for an authentic frozen yogurt player in the country, Red Mango entered the Indian market in 2012, to redefine health with a brand new experience. 

The brand did an extensive research on the Indian market before launching, and based on their study and survey, they considered Delhi to be a viable option to start with for their first store. As in 2012, very few Indian brands had the knowledge on the product and none of local Indian brands had unfortunately mastered the art of real and authentic froyo. As people did not understand the real taste of froyo, it was a challenge for the brand to create a premium health brand.

“We have brought in the international experience of enjoying frozen yogurt in India and customers love us for that. There are a plethora of Indian mom and pop froyo players, but to master the art of authentic frozen yogurt and giving the real taste is where we come in keeping in mind the health aspect of the brand, international standards and Indian consumers’ taste preferences in consideration,” shares Rahul Kumar, CEO, Red Mango India. 

Frozen health options

Red Mango, which is the #1 Zagat rated frozen yogurt and smoothie brand, believes in introducing healthy eating to the foodies of the town and bringing offerings of All-natural Frozen Yogurt which is their core product, fresh fruit smoothies, yogurt parfaits and Pro-biotic Iced Teas, Healthy Snack, Gourmet Sandwiches and Gourmet Waffles which are there in most of our cafes  and have also come up with a live healthy salads and pastas at affordable prices along with their core product and are all set to introduce a brand new health food menu this summers.

The brand claims of providing a health option in the food and beverage section to the youth who are their driving force. Meanwhile, the non fat authentic frozen yogurt is a hit among women and kids where the former love them for being low on fat and calories and the kids for the variety of toppings and the joy of making their own Froyo.

“We are not an ice-cream or frozen yogurt kiosk like others, we want our consumers to feel and experience in our cafes what they would in any Red Mango across the world and that makes us a mark above all and a success in India,” added Kumar.

How the business started

The idea was to have a premium health brand serving health with an experience. Red Mango started its operations as a first-of-its-kind in India on the same lines of flagship stores in USA. The DIY (Do it yourself) concept was new to the Indian market and had been well received with our flagship outlet which was opened in Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj in 2012 with a bang.

“We entered and tried to change the perception of healthy being boring and lacking in taste. We provide great taste without worrying about your waistline and tried to position it as fun with a “cool quotient” and a lifestyle option. We cater to women and children and now we see a radical change in men coming and having a yogurt parfait as a meal,” says Tanvi Bhatia, Brand Head, Red Mango.

Location played a vital role in the success of Red Mango as today it is located in the most premium areas and in the malls in Delhi and Chandigarh with their cafe style outlets.

There is a paradigm shift in the consumer’s palate from ice-cream to a healthier frozen yogurt which is low on calories and available in variety of flavours, textures, fat content, milk sources and sweetness.

Seeing this, many international and national brands have started manufacturing flavoured yogurt in variety of range. And the renewed popularity of frozen yogurt has created a great deal of change and growth in the industry. According to a study conducted by the Tata Strategic Management Group, the size of the Indian health and wellness food market will rise to Rs 550 billion by 2015, from an estimated Rs 101 billion in 2010 - a growth of 35-37 percent where yogurt fits well.

Leading names

International brands like Red Mango, Yogurberry, Danone, Kiwi Kiss have already created brand identity for their products in India which has driven major Indian brands like Britannia, Amul and also Murginns selling probiotic fruit yogurts in different flavours and textures.

The international brands believe that they have succeeded in redefining frozen yogurt in India by bringing the international experience. In this context, Red Mango was the first one in India to offer the very successful concept of “Self Serve “You Swirl It, You Top It, You Weight It”.

Speaking about the strategy, Rahul Kumar, Managing Director, Red Mango India, says, “There was a certain void in the Indian market for certified authentic yogurt player. We wished to bring to India a healthy eating option and with our pro-biotic ‘froyo'- the Red Mango frozen yogurt and smoothies in their preferred flavors.”

Power punch

Unlike other desserts that often contain artificial ingredients or excessive calories, the frozen yogurt is all-natural, non-fat or low fat and certified gluten free with variety of toppings that are available in the market today. It is valuable health food for both infants and elderly persons as it is nutritionally rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and B12.

Moreover, yogurt which was earlier consumed in the form of Dahi, now with its new avatar as ‘yogurt’ has entered into the orgainsed food market. Observing the change, Rajiv Khemka, Managing Director, Murginns, says, “Consumer education coupled with health awareness has driven the shift from unorganised to organised segment for fermented products thereby taking the volumes sky high in the recent past. The major factors which have led to such growth are the rapid urbanisation, growing retail market, the rise in bovine population, marketing campaigns of various manufacturers that have revolutionised the Indian consumption patterns in the FMCG segment.”

Marketing strategies

ATL and radio campaigns on regular basis to educate the consumer on the benefits of frozen yogurt in a fun way by using jingles and music is the strongest strategy to lure in the customers. At the same time, the brands participate in schools to get the kids acquainted with the concept of healthy eating. And also host events of various forms that relate to brand and its positioning.

At the same time these yogurt brands also focus on point of purchase and organise ‘tasting sessions’ by giving a chance to consumers to taste this yogurt as the most powerful strategy. Unlike other segment which focuses on mass media, the frozen yogurt brands believe on promoting through events and such specifically designed tasting sessions.

Location and format

International yogurt chains establishing their identity not only in Delhi-NCR region but also expanding presence in cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore and they are preferring kiosk format for their brands. Yogurberry, the South Korean yogurt brand has opened more than 100 outlets across cities in India. At the same time, Kiwi Kiss, the Canadian brand also forayed into the Indian market by targeting major cities like Bangalore and Chennai.. Informing about the footfall Red Mango gets in a week, Kumar, says, “We have an average footfall of 2000 per week at a single store.

With summer season on its way there is nothing better than yogurt to beat the hit with its unique taste. The brands are coming with new options which shows that the yogurt majors will gain customers throughout the year.