Why this vegan ice-cream brand is taking off in Singapore and Malaysia
Ishpal and Serina Bajaj started Kind Kones, a plant-based ice cream company, in a no-frills family home kitchen back in 2017 in Malaysia. Their goal was to develop a healthy ice-cream blend that was good for the environment, too.
They also wanted to prove that plant-based labels and healthier options don’t have to mean a compromise on taste. Fast forward to today, and they are now handcrafting ice cream in small batches from all-natural ingredients.
The story so far
“When we started the brand back in 2017 in Malaysia, we realised that there was a huge gap in the market as there were no plant-based options available. So that’s when I decided to start making my own ice cream with a little ice-cream machine,” Serina Bajaj told Inside Retail.
At the time, there were only a few soy options in the frozen plant-based product range, and vegan options tended to be viewed as exclusive products. A lot of people were intimidated by the whole concept.
Most malls were not very receptive to the Bajajs’ concept, and some even were quite dismissive of the potential of the brand. “Back then, the picture of veganism was quite different,” Ishpal Bajaj told Inside Retail.
The first mall that agreed to take the brand on board was One Mont Kiara, a community-based mall in an upmarket suburb in Kuala Lumpur. From a 150-square-foot space, the brand soon caught on with customers and grew exponentially from there.
“We were surprised to see how the product resonated with a lot of people. Our customers are not just those who want plant-based or vegan products, they are also people who have dairy intolerances and those who just want a better and healthier option,” he added.
The brand now has two stores in Malaysia and three stores in Singapore. The couple hope to open up a physical store in Bangkok soon.
In Kuala Lumpur, they have opened outlets in Plaza Damansara and Bangsar Village. Their ice cream is also available at selected outlets of Village Grocer, Ben’s Independent Grocer and Qra.
Customers in the Klang Valley can place their orders via the Kind Kones website and have their ice cream delivered.
Indulgence is still a factor
“Ice cream is an indulgent product. When we look at Malaysia and Singapore, people still enjoy going out for ice cream. It’s almost like a family outing in most cases. So that’s why we have seating spaces at our retail outlets,” Ishpal noted.
Some have suggested that Kind Kones should stick to takeout in order to make operations more cost-efficient, but Bajaj believes that the seating spaces give the brand an opportunity to gain traction within the community and create memorable experiences for customers.
“I think being plant-based and having a differentiated product definitely makes us stand out. But our biggest initial concern was would this plant-based concept merely be a trend or would it have staying power? I think we have established a long-lasting presence now,” he said.
Convincing customers
When the brand first started, it was a challenge to convince curious customers to give the product a try. Nowadays, the challenge is more about finding the right employees who are passionate about the product and can communicate the message to customers.
“By the time we came to Singapore in 2019, it was a bit easier to tackle the marketplace. People had a better understanding of the vegan and plant-based movement, so educating and convincing people to try our products was a smoother process,” Serina added.
The brand’s gluten-free cone is proving to be very popular in both markets, and in terms of ice-cream flavours, the chocolate variants are best-sellers.
Evolving strategies
When the couple first started the brand, they envisioned opening multiple physical stores to drive growth. But with rental costs skyrocketing in both Malaysia and Singapore, and a labour market that is tightening, they took the decision to transition to a wholesale model.
“The consumer packaged goods route is beneficial as we can be on shelves in supermarkets and drive growth by being in multiple touchpoints. This is how we envision the brand growing in the future,” Ishpal elaborated.
The brand currently makes its ice cream in Singapore, and it is transported to Malaysia via its cold-chain distribution partners. The owners ensure they have a six-month supply of raw materials to minimise any disruptions in the case of supply-chain bottlenecks.
“It’s quite a challenge as Singapore is not agri-based, but we work with Malaysian plantations to source ingredients, and are quite flexible and adaptable to current market conditions to ensure we can still run efficiently and have enough leeway in unforeseen circumstances,” he said.
The company has its own freezer truck that makes deliveries to supermarkets in Malaysia. Within Singapore, Ishpal ensures the supermarket deliveries are done via local logistics companies.
“We want to expand to hotels and offices in these markets, and of course the most likely place for a physical store in the future is Bangkok. But our online e-commerce operations in Singapore account for 20 per cent of our sales already, so that’s another avenue to expand on, too,” he concluded.
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