Kaurina’s Kulfi: The Serendipitous Journey to Perfect Indulgent Ice Cream
Kulfi, an Indian frozen dessert with a rich history, has found its perfect form in Kaurina’s Kulfi. Serendipity comes to mind when tasting it but also when looking back to its origin. Offering a better for you nutrition profile, kulfi delivers an unmatched indulgence in terms of richness, taste, flavor, and texture. With its lactose-friendly nature, gluten-free composition, and no use of eggs in the cooking process, Kaurina’s Kulfi presents a unique and delightful frozen treat that has broad appeal – as the Singh family, the persevering presence behind Kaurina’s, learned over time, a long time. Kaurina’s Kulfi, which began as a beloved family recipe shared at the dinner table in the 1980s, Kaurina’s Kulfi was a cherished dessert enjoyed by the Singh family and their close friends.
Jas, the Singh matriarch, meticulously prepared kulfi using the 100-year-old family recipe. The process involved slow-cooking half and half (the closest analog to buffalo milk in India), skillfully mixing the ingredients, and freezing the kulfi into molds. The Singh family’s culinary expertise soon caught the attention of friends who were captivated by the exceptional taste of their Kulfi. Encouraged by the overwhelming response to their homemade delight, Hari, the father of the family, recognized the potential to introduce Kaurina’s Kulfi beyond friends and family.
In the late 1990s, they embarked on their business journey, starting with selling to Dallas-area Indian grocery stores familiar with the frozen dessert. The response was instantaneous, with stores quickly selling out of Kaurina’s Kulfi due to the high demand. As more and more Indian grocery stores began placing orders, the family decided to move the operation out of their family kitchen and establish their own 2,500-square-foot facility dedicated to making Kulfi.
The business grew incredibly from 2000 to 2004, with a major breakthrough when bunker freezers were purchased to store and merchandise Kaurina’s Kulfi. This allowed for greater product quality control and reduced losses. The freezers were another serendipitous moment when the Kaurina’s team was informed by another ice cream company that shared their frozen storage space that the freezers would be available for purchase due to that company replacing their equipment with newly branded freezers.
At that time, Aman, Jas and Hari’s son, actively supported the business while also working a full-time corporate engineering job. Aman’s dedication was evident as he would work at his regular job during the day and made Kaurina’s Kulfi deliveries at nights and weekends including delivering to Houston every two weeks. At the end of 2004, realizing the incredible potential of the business, Aman joined Kaurina’s full-time and has not looked back.
In an unexpected turn of events around that time, a family friend introduced Kaurina’s Kulfi to a Whole Foods Market in Lower Greenville without permission. Their Kulfi caught the attention of the Whole Foods Manager, leading to a meeting with Aman and the beginning of Kaurina’s expansion beyond the Indian community’s grocery stores. More serendipity followed in 2011 at Expo West, where a regional Costco buyer was captivated by Kaurina’s Kulfi and agreed to purchase 1,000 units. The demand was unprecedented with the initial order selling out in two days, as Kaurina’s Kulfi quickly became a favorite among Costco customers in the Bay area.
As Kaurina’s Kulfi grew, new challenges arose each year, including scaling up production, meeting increasing demand, and seeking valuable advice for sustainable growth. From 2012 to 2018, Kaurina’s expanded into the next-door suite now providing them with a 5,000-square-foot facility to meet local Indian grocery demand and manage Costco’s growing appetite for its Kulfi. With demand growing to HEB, Central Market, and other grocers – in 2021, Kaurina’s opened a remarkable 30,000 square-foot facility in Farmer’s Branch, ensuring enough capacity to meet the rising demand. Kaurina’s recently expanded across Costco’s Texas region to 44 stores, which also includes Oklahoma and Louisiana.
Currently, Kaurina’s offers six flavors of Kulfi pops: Pistachio Almond, Mango, Malai (Cardamom Cream), Creamy Vanilla, Rich Chocolate, and Luscious Strawberry. Each bar is only 80 calories per snack size bar and packed with natural goodness. Kaurina’s also recently launched Kulfi pints available at Central Markets, for those who want to enjoy their dense creamy Kulfi in an easy-to-scoop pint.
Family, friends, and community played a crucial role in providing contacts, networks, and honest feedback, helping Kaurina’s navigate these challenges. Having learned from the many challenges over four decades, Aman and the Singh family joined the DFW CPG community to help pay their experience forward. The journey was long but with perseverance, and a tight-knit family of supporters that includes Aman’s wife Pam, brother Amit, and his wife Pooja, anything is possible. From Jas’ creativity and attention to detail to Hari’s entrepreneurial push to go to market, and Aman’s engineering and business savvy to scale up and expand – these experiences can help others in the DFW CPG community grow and thrive.
The Singh’s made sure that Kaurina’s Kulfi stuck to its traditions and recipe that made it a family and friend favorite in the 1980s. Never compromising on flavor, taste or ingredients has led to its success more than 40 years from when it was first served in the Singh home to family and friends. Kaurina’s vision is to make its Kulfi the next big brand in ice cream. In the next phase of its journey, Kaurina’s Kulfi will remain true to its roots, be unique, and stand out from other frozen desserts like ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Together, the Singh family has created a deliciously different dessert that is ice cream, perfected. Great for those days when you just want to curl up on the couch and savor the moment. Sounds like a great recipe for a thriving business — serendipity meets guilt-free indulgence.