Generally, ice cream is regarded as a summer remedy, but the dessert that can be consumed in any manner. Though youngsters prefer ice cream as deserts, its trend is still new in Nepal. People are not aware of the varieties of ice cream either. Considering the lack of adequate knowledge, Anishman Dong and Sandeep Gurung established an ice cream parlor named Funkey Delights that serves scrumptious fried ice cream roll among other varieties of the dessert. The venture started on May 28, this year from City Center, Kathmandu. Now, the business is spread to Civil Mall, and in the lakeside - Pokhara. Unlike other ice cream parlors, customers of Funkey Delights can customize their ice cream by blending different flavors. Though Funkey Delights is famous among all age groups, youngsters mainly prefer visiting the parlor because of its unique feature that allows people to create distinct flavors.
Story behind the concept of ice cream business
Dong and Gurung were classmates at school. After completing secondary level education in 2005, they pursued further education in different fields. Dong is an IT graduate, and Gurung is an MBA graduate from Malaysia. Both of them were determined to start a business venture in Nepal and started researching in different fields. When they noticed the lack of a proper ice cream trend and the lack of varieties and flavors, they decided to bring a new concept of fried ice cream roll in Nepal. Dong informed that they decided to start ice cream business because unlike other businesses, it didn’t need heavy investment. The risk was also minimal. He said, “There were not innovative ice cream stations in Nepal. So, we decided to bring something new to the country.” After deciding to start ice cream business, they took training from Kathmandu, Thailand, India, and China before implementing their concept.
New Ice-Cream Shoppe in town
Challenges
The venture has been through lots of ups and downs. Both founders were new in business and weren’t familiar with the process. Unavailability of machines and ingredients was another challenge. Dong said, “Initially, we were unaware about the business and availability of the products. So, we imported all machines and ingredients from Thailand. Now, to minimize the cost, we have started importing machines from China. We find the required ingredient in the local market.”
As fried ice cream roll was a new concept in Nepal, founders of the venture had to spin their head in search of a suitable location. “Nepalis still carry a traditional mindset. We like to think it’s better to have lunch than to spend on expensive ice cream. This concept created difficulties for us because choosing a normal location would bring negative effect,” said Dong.
The venture also faced difficulties in advertising and promoting their product during the initial phase. Unavailability of a suitable location, and the syndicate in malls and lack of proper rules and proper implementation of the existing rules added more difficulties.
Story behind the name
Previously, the duo was considering a Nepali name for their venture. Later, they realized that ice cream was not Nepali food. Dong informed that there was a long story behind the naming the brand. The name consists of three words --fun, key and delights. Altogether, Funkey Delights is the key to open fun and have a delightful life. The duo claimed that they discussed for more than two months to come up with the appropriate name.
Future plan
The venture that started in Kathmandu has reached Pokhara within the first two years of its establishment. The founders are looking to further expand the business in other major cities. Likewise, Funkey Delights is famous for fried ice cream rolls. The establishment has stuck to the same menu for the past two years. However, Dong added that they were planning to introduce dessert packages. He stated, “We want to make an ice cream brand in Nepal, so we have recently introduced the scheme of a franchise model and license model.”
Funkey Delights is also planning to add coffee items and light breakfast items in their stalls.
