Havmor’s national ice cream play

Rishabh Verma on innovation, premiumisation, quick commerce and national expansion.

The real differentiator will be combining operational scale with culturally relevant, consumer-led innovation

Ice cream is no longer just a summer product and it is becoming an all-year, multi-occasion indulgence

Kalpana Ravi

HHavmor Ice Cream is moving beyond its Western India roots to build a nationally relevant, innovation-led dessert brand. Backed by LOTTE Group, the brand is combining Indian consumer insight with global capabilities in R&D, manufacturing and innovation to accelerate expansion and premiumisation.

From Guava Chilli and Krunch to globally inspired formats, Havmor is betting on differentiated experiences while retaining its Indian taste equity. Quick commerce is also reshaping the consumer journey, connecting discovery with instant purchase. In this exclusive Ad-Mirror.com interaction, Rishabh Verma, Head – Marketing, Havmor Ice Cream, discusses national expansion, premiumisation, innovation, quick commerce and the evolving Indian ice cream consumer.

Havmor has moved from a Western India stronghold to a national expansion phase. What has been the biggest marketing challenge across diverse Indian markets?

Being part of the LOTTE Group has significantly accelerated Havmor’s evolution from a strong regional brand into a future-ready national player. The biggest shift has been combining Havmor’s deep understanding of Indian consumer preferences with LOTTE’s global capabilities across technology, R&D, manufacturing and innovation.

This has strengthened our ability to create differentiated products, introduce globally inspired formats and elevate quality standards. Access to LOTTE’s global ice cream portfolio and innovation ecosystem has also opened opportunities to bring category-first experiences and internationally successful formats to Indian consumers, adapted for local tastes.

Krunch, India’s first 4-layered ice cream, is a strong example. It reflects how we are introducing newer textures, formats and indulgence experiences into the Indian market. The acquisition has also enabled us to invest in scale and infrastructure. Our new Pune manufacturing facility gives us the capability to expand faster, improve supply chain agility and support deeper market penetration.

LOTTE has also brought a long-term growth mindset. We are building Havmor not simply as a seasonal ice cream brand, but as a contemporary food and dessert brand driven by innovation, premiumisation and evolving consumption occasions. Historically, Havmor had a dominant presence in Western India. Today, we are expanding across South and East India with a stronger portfolio, wider distribution network and sharper consumer focus. While the business now operates with global standards and international expertise, the soul of the brand remains deeply Indian.

The Indian ice cream market has legacy brands, regional challengers and premium entrants. What is Havmor’s biggest differentiator beyond flavours and pricing?

Consumer preferences are becoming increasingly layered, reshaping how we approach innovation. 

There is a clear shift towards premiumisation and experience-led indulgence. Younger consumers are seeking richer textures, globally inspired formats and unique flavour pairings that feel elevated, exciting and shareable. This is driving momentum for premium cones, novelty formats, gourmet ice cream cakes and innovations such as Guava Chilli, which combines familiarity with an unexpected twist.

At the same time, there is growing awareness around ingredient quality and more mindful indulgence. Consumers are not moving away from treats; they are becoming more conscious about what goes into them and increasingly prefer offerings that feel authentic, fruit-led and aligned with evolving lifestyles. For us, the future of innovation lies in balancing indulgence with conscious consumption. Our pipeline therefore spans premium formats, culturally rooted flavours, fruit-forward innovations and globally inspired experiences enabled through the LOTTE ecosystem.

We believe the category will increasingly be driven by experience, personalisation and occasion-based consumption rather than traditional seasonality. Ice cream is becoming an all-year, multi-occasion indulgence. Scale will remain critical because it underpins distribution, manufacturing efficiency and market reach. But scale alone is not enough. The real differentiator will be an innovation pipeline that is exciting, commercially scalable and capable of expanding the category.

Consumers can discover ice cream on Instagram and order it within minutes on quick-commerce platforms. How has this changed Havmor’s media planning and campaign strategy?

Consumers now move seamlessly from discovery to purchase, often spotting a product on Instagram and ordering it within minutes through quick commerce. This has significantly influenced our media planning and campaign strategy, making speed, relevance and conversion more important than ever.

At Havmor, quick commerce has emerged as a significant and rapidly growing contributor to our online sales, driven by consumers’ increasing preference for convenience and instant gratification.

As a result, we are placing greater emphasis on integrated campaigns that connect awareness and purchase in real time, allowing consumers to act immediately on their cravings.

During peak summer months, platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart play a crucial role in driving impulse purchases. Categories such as cones, sticks and single-serve cups are seeing particularly strong traction, reflecting demand for on-demand indulgence.

Given the pace at which the channel is growing, we expect quick commerce to become an even more important part of our consumer engagement and growth strategy.

Havmor is experimenting with unconventional Indian flavours. How do you balance innovation with the familiarity consumers expect from an ice cream brand?

What differentiates Havmor is our ability to blend familiar Indian tastes with meaningful innovation. Consumers continue to love classics such as Cassata, Matka-based offerings and Kashmiri Kesar Kulfi, but they are also seeking new experiences and flavour combinations. Guava Chilli brings together the familiar Indian fruit-and-masala pairing in a unique ice cream format, creating a balance between familiarity and novelty. 

At the same time, premium offerings such as the Belgian Silky Cone and globally inspired LOTTE formats such as Shark and Subak introduce consumers to new textures and indulgent experiences. Our focus is to evolve the category through innovation while staying rooted in the tastes and moments consumers already love.

Can premiumisation drive India’s ice cream market?

Consumer preferences are becoming far more layered. There is a clear shift towards premiumisation and experience-led indulgence, particularly among younger audiences seeking richer textures, globally inspired formats, unique flavour pairings and products that feel elevated and shareable. This is driving momentum for premium cones, novelty formats, gourmet ice cream cakes and innovations such as Guava Chilli that combine familiarity with surprise.

At the same time, consumers are increasingly conscious of ingredient quality, fruit-led offerings and mindful indulgence. They are not necessarily moving away from treats; they are becoming more discerning about what goes into them.

For us, the opportunity lies in balancing indulgence with evolving consumer consciousness. Our pipeline is becoming more diverse across premium formats, culturally rooted flavours, fruit-forward innovations and globally inspired experiences. Going forward, we believe experience, personalisation and occasion-based consumption will increasingly complement traditional seasonal demand.

Over the next three years, what will define success for Havmor: market share, premiumisation, deeper national penetration or stronger emotional connection?

Success will be defined by a combination of deeper national penetration, premiumisation and stronger emotional relevance with consumers. The Indian ice cream category is entering a transformational phase, driven by changing lifestyles, quick commerce and growing demand for experience-led consumption. Our ambition is not simply to grow market share, but to shape how the category evolves. We want Havmor to be known for three things: trusted taste, culturally rooted innovation and globally inspired experiences.

Whether through premium indulgences, regionally inspired flavours or category-first formats enabled through the LOTTE ecosystem, our focus will remain on creating new consumption occasions and meaningful consumer connections. Ultimately, our goal is to build Havmor into a modern Indian dessert brand with national scale, strong emotional resonance and long-term category leadership.