A South Asian-inspired ice cream brand is teaming up with FreshDirect to allow its new flavors to come right to your door.
Heritage Kulfi was created by founder and CEO Mansoor Ahmed, who found that there weren’t really any ice cream flavors that reflected his South Asian roots.
“I had some experience running a frozen distribution company in New Jersey, which allowed me to stay connected to my local South Asian community throughout the area, so I was constantly in touch with store owners and customers and understood what they were looking for,” said Ahmed. “So with my own background and knowing that generally, South Asians were looking for locally made products that spoke to their experience using these varieties of ingredients that I didn’t find represented in a mainstream frozen dessert.”
Based in Princeton, NJ, Heritage Kulfi first launched in 2021 and has since released eight flavors: Alphonso Mango (a popular option among customers), Cardamom Chai, Coconut, Earl Grey, Pistachio, Rosewater, Saffron, and Vanilla Bean. All of the flavors are egg-free, non-GMO, gluten-free, halal and kosher and come in sustainably sourced packaging, a feat that Ahmed admits is challenging but worth it.
“As a native New Yorker, it was super important for me to bring something that would have wide cross-cultural appeal,” said Ahmed. “This is why I took the extra step of making sure I kind of ticked all these boxes so I could reach a very wide audience within that.”
For Ahmed in particular, it was important to represent these flavors in an authentic way, which allows Heritage Kulfi to stand out from a marketing perspective but also as an innovator for ice cream as a whole.
“I grew up with a variety of South Asian desserts and these are very nostalgic kind of memories for me. Whether it’s like a drink or like giving you your own mango to kind of work through as a kid or enjoying pistachios, so for me, it was important to kind of represent all of those ingredients in an authentic way,” said Ahmed. “I felt the best way to do that was as a new style of ice cream within kind of the larger category. So doing that, I felt was extremely important to stay true to South Asian cuisine and represent these particular ingredients. It allows me to kind of stand out within the existing extremely competitive market of ice cream and it also brings something that’s diverse and innovative.”
The ice cream brand recently dropped two new flavors to its robust lineup: Malai Sweet Cream and Almond Blossom.
“These are, I would say, almost springtime flavors. Malai Sweet Cream is meant to highlight the fundamentals of ice cream. Ingredients-wise, it’s just milk, cream, and sugar. It is kind of a very purist approach to this flavor but Malai in itself is the most popular flavor generally,” said Ahmed. “For the Almond Blossom, I always found it so difficult to find an almond ice cream on the market. Almonds are a very common topping and a base within South Asian desserts, so I wanted to bring something that essentially highlighted almonds. The blossom portion of it is, I use orange blossom water to kind of top off, the almonds that I use, and that adds to that kind of citrusy springtime burst.”
Heritage Kulfi is available in select retailers. The brand is also officially launching with FreshDirect, the online grocery delivery service, to help get their ice cream right to customers’ doors.
“FreshDirect is very excited to partner with Heritage Kulfi and bring these delicious ice cream flavors to our customers, including traditional South-Asian staples like Rosewater, Cardamom Chai, and Saffron. When we first tasted this product, we knew immediately that we wanted to work with this brand,” said Gabriela Diaz, Associate Category Manager, FreshDirect. “We have seen Asian and Indian flavors grow more and more popular in the ice cream space, and we are committed to continuing to identify local, AAPI-run businesses to bring this blossoming trend to our loyal customer base. This partnership grew from our many shared values, including utilizing local farms, employing sustainable practices, and most importantly, providing a flavorful and unique customer experience.”
For more information about Heritage Kulfi, visit heritagekulfi.com.
