Raghunandan Srinivas Kamath, the founding father of Naturals Ice Cream, handed away on Friday night time. He was 70. His final rites had been carried out on Saturday night at Amboli, Andheri West.
Born to a mango vendor in a village in Mangaluru, Kamath went on to ascertain Naturals, an ice cream parlour estimated to be price Rs 400 crore at present, turning into a well known determine within the business and an inspiration to many.
As quickly because the information of his demise unfold, many paid tribute to the ‘ice cream man of India’ on social media. “Just a few years in the past I did a high 5 ice cream manufacturers of Mumbai characteristic for YouTube and I realized an excellent deal concerning the historical past of the Naturals Ice Cream model I didn’t know and it made me recognize their product much more,” wrote actress, author and residential chef Tara Deshpande on Instagram.
Because the legend goes, a younger 14-year-old Kamath boarded a prepare from Mangaluru (then Mangalore) and got here to Mumbai (then Bombay). After working at his brother’s restaurant, Kamath had an concept — if ice lotions have fruit flavours, why can’t they’ve actual fruits. He determined to fill this void out there. However not sure of whether or not prospects would come, he started his enterprise with serving pav-bhaji as the primary dish and the ice cream as an add on.
His first ice cream parlour was launched in 1984 in Juhu, with the preliminary menu that includes round 12 flavours, every being a testomony to the information he acquired through the time he assisted his father in Mangaluru.
His story was captured expansively in ‘Clever Fanatics of India’, a e book co-authored by Mumbai-based journalist Pooja Bhula.
“Mr Kamath’s demise is deeply saddening, not solely due to lengthy conversations we had once I was doing a chapter on Naturals for my e book, but additionally as a result of I grew up with it, my household may be very keen on the ice lotions,” Bhula informed The Indian Express, including that on the time he began, “kulfis dominated, ice lotions had been nonetheless a luxurious largely obtainable at eating places, and ice lotions with pure fruits had been a rarity”.
“I don’t even know in the event that they actually existed, a minimum of in Bombay, particularly within the method and flavours he dished them. However the secret behind that was that for him, ice lotions weren’t the top, however the means to convey out the fantastic thing about fruits, the love for which he picked up in childhood as a fruit vendor’s son and married it with the affect of his mother’s cooking,” shared Bhula. In her e book, Bhula had famous that as a lot as Kamath was passionate, he additionally understood the dangers he was taking and the gaps that existed and tweaked know-how to get the specified outcome.
“As a lot as his ice lotions, individuals can even keep in mind him for his heat, loyalty that was drastically reciprocated by his franchisees and allowed for the expansion it noticed because of rewarding relationships he created. Additionally, simply his humility and sense of humour,” added Bhula.
Kamath is survived by his spouse and two sons, together with Siddhant, the director of Naturals.