How Frozen Fun Gelato Is Carving Space in India's Modern Dessert Scene

India's love for frozen treats like ice cream and gelato is changing faster than ever. What was once a simple choice between a scoop and a cone has evolved into a growing curiosity for creative flavours, lighter textures, and desserts that turn everyday moments into mini celebrations. Amid this shift, gelato has stepped into the spotlight, offering the richness people crave without the heaviness they want to avoid. It's in this refreshing new space that Frozen Fun Gelato has carved its identity, rooted in craft, clarity and a modern take on what indulgence can mean today. In a conversation with Founder & CEO Vasuki Punj, we explore how the brand understands India's changing palate and responds to it with intention.

Excerpts From NDTV Food's Interview With Vasuki Punj, Founder & CEO at Frozen Fun Gelato:

1. What shaped your decision to build a brand in the frozen dessert category, and what gap did you believe needed to be filled?

I wanted to build a brand that respected craft. India had great ice cream brands, but not enough brands that took gelato seriously. I saw a gap between mass indulgence and true quality. People were ready for something real: clean ingredients, honest recipes, and an experience that felt global without losing its warmth.

2. Frozen Fun has a clear personality: modern, upbeat, premium. What were the early non-negotiables that shaped the brand identity?

A simple set of rules. No shortcuts in the product. No artificial tones in the brand voice. No clutter in the design. I knew I wanted Frozen Fun to feel fresh and confident. Modern, but not cold. Premium, but not intimidating. These boundaries shaped everything from colour to copy.

3. How would you describe the current shift in India's dessert preferences? What insights drive your flavour and format decisions?

People want indulgence without feeling heavy. They want global flavours but with a familiar ease. Younger customers don't wait for occasions. They snack throughout the day and experiment. This shift pushes us to build flavours that feel comforting yet new, and formats that work for both impulse and ritual. Flavours like Salted Butter Caramel, Matcha, and Forest Berry Cheesecake prove that customers are open to global taste profiles as long as they feel familiar.

4. What are the core principles that define the Frozen Fun product philosophy, from ingredients to textures to innovation cycles?

Our product philosophy is simple: real ingredients, balanced sweetness, clean textures. No artificial flavours. No shortcuts. Every flavour starts with a mood or a memory. Some come from travel, some from a single ingredient, some from things customers ask for. Once we have the idea, our Italian chefs and our team build a few versions of it. Then we start the slow work. Taste, adjust, repeat. We refine until the flavour feels honest.

Before anything goes live, we test it in select stores and watch how people respond. What they finish first, what they come back for. Only then do we scale it. It's a patient process because consistency matters more than novelty.

5. Your design language is bold and conversational. How important was packaging as a business lever, rather than just a branding exercise?

Packaging became a business tool for us very early on. It's the first handshake. It shapes trial, trust and recall long before someone takes a bite. Our brand colour, bright pink, sets the tone for who we are as a company. It signals energy, confidence and a modern attitude. But for the tubs, we made a deliberate choice to go beyond that.

The rest of the design grew from the same idea. Frozen Fun is an Indo-Italian company. The product is Italian in craft but rooted in India. We wanted the packaging to show that mix. Bold colours that reflect India's spirit. Illustrations that nod to Italy. No pastels. No safe choices. Something that feels modern, expressive and unmistakably ours.

We're still evolving the system. Our latest tubs carry stronger colours and a clearer voice. The goal stays the same: packaging that doesn't just hold the gelato but tells you who we are before you take the first bite.

6. Building a cold chain presence is notoriously complex. How did you approach distribution in a way that protected both consistency and experience?

The cold chain is the hardest part of our category. Gelato is unforgiving. One small temperature dip and the texture is gone. Most logistics systems in India aren't built for that level of precision, so we had to build our own discipline early.

We invested in cold storage, created strict handling SOPs and kept key parts of the chain under our control. We trained our own riders for sensitive deliveries. We built production labs in both Delhi and Mumbai to cut down transit time. I've personally spent hours testing routes, monitoring melt rates and tweaking packaging until it held up the way we wanted.

None of this is glamorous, but it's what protects the experience inside the tub. Good gelato is craft, but great gelato at scale is logistics. Getting that right has shaped the way we grow.

7. Do you believe ice cream today is less of a "weekend treat" and more of an "anytime joy"? How does Frozen Fun tap into that emotional shift?

Yes. Ice cream is no longer an occasion. People reach for it when they want a small lift in the day. A rough meeting, a quiet evening at home, a moment with their kids. It has become an everyday comfort.
Frozen Fun is built around that shift. Gelato feels indulgent without feeling heavy, so it works for these small, real moments. Customers tell us they trust it for their kids, that it makes them feel cared for, and that it reminds them of being on holiday even when they're on the couch.

If there is one promise we protect, it is this: every spoonful should feel joyful, safe and trustworthy.

8. You were part of the NDTV World Summit. What role do collaborations like this play in shaping a brand's cultural presence?

They place the brand in conversations that matter. It signals intent. It tells people we're building something serious, something rooted in craft and culture. These platforms widen the lens through which people see Frozen Fun. They introduce the brand to audiences beyond food: policymakers, business leaders, creators and the larger cultural ecosystem.

For us, these collaborations aren't about visibility alone. They are about showing up where the future of culture and business is being shaped.

9. Craft gelato, plant-based scoops, protein pops: consumers have choices. Where do you see Frozen Fun leading the conversation?

We want to lead on quality. Not trends. Not labels. Real gelato made with intention. That's our lane. Within that, we do have a range. We offer vegan flavours, no added sugar flavours, protein-based gelatos and soon gelato bars. But we don't build them to tick boxes. We build them with the same discipline and craft as our classic scoops.

Where we want to lead the conversation is simple: whatever format you pick, the experience should feel honest, consistent and made with care. Quality first. Everything else follows.

10. Which business decision so far has been the most defining for Frozen Fun's trajectory? And what have you learnt from the most challenging phase?

The most defining decision was choosing to build Frozen Fun offline first. Going the D2C route sounds tempting, but gelato needs to be experienced. I wanted people to walk into our stores, see the product, taste it fresh and understand what real gelato feels like. That decision shaped everything that followed. It gave us control over quality, service and the entire customer experience.

The most challenging phase was learning to run food operations with no background in F&B. Opening and managing gelato shops taught me the discipline the category demands. Nothing moves on autopilot. You learn storage, logistics, training, consistency and crisis management in real time.

That phase taught me something simple. You can study as much as you want, but the real learning happens only when you do the work. I understood this business by being on the ground every day. That practical learning still shapes how we build Frozen Fun.

11. Five years from now, what should someone feel when they pick up a Frozen Fun tub for the first time?

Impatience. That spark of wanting to open it right away. If we can create that feeling, it means the brand has built trust, desire and recall. Five years from now, I want someone to pick up a tub and instinctively know it will taste good, feel good and live up to the promise. That mix of excitement and certainty is what we're building toward.

Rapid Fire

• A flavour that defines India in 2025: Pistachio.
• One trend the dessert world is getting wrong: Overcomplicating flavours
• Ice cream pairing: movie night or office stress relief? Movie night
• A flavour you wish people loved more: Roasted Hazelnut
• The three words that best describe Frozen Fun: Maestri Del Gelato