Doing this also allowed him to ensure the freshness of the ice creams. To achieve this, Aravindan decided to source seasonal ingredients that were locally available. This meant that the production costs needed to be kept low, without compromising on quality. We priced our ice creams accordingly,” he says. They liked the flavours but wanted it to be affordable. “Here, we asked our customers to pay us whatever they liked. He got an opportunity to set up a stall, showcasing Cocolicious’ products at ‘Gourmet Bazaar’ in Coimbatore. When Aravindan came up with the first few batches of the coconut-milk vegan ice cream, he was undecided about the pricing.įor this, he employed a simple solution. Once the ice cream was well received at their wedding, they went into commercial production in May 2019. Later, the love for ice-creams urged Aravindan and his wife (also a vegan) to experiment in the kitchen. In addition to the popular Mysore Pak, they also make halwas and laddoos using ingredients like seeds and nuts. They didn’t and he proved his point that vegan food doesn’t taste any less delicious,” smiles Aravindan. He wanted to share these with his colleagues and see if they could taste a difference. In fact, we had a vegan customer who asked us to deliver some sweets in regular packaging. “We even sent out free samples for people to taste and no one could make out that these sweets were vegan. The hard work spanning six months paid off and developed sweets that were well-received. He decided to research alternatives like coconut milk, wheat milk, almond milk, cashew paste among others, to develop sweets that did not compromise on the taste. So, I decided to give myself six months to make the sweets vegan,” he recalls. “Although I was a vegan and would encourage others to consider this lifestyle, I felt like a hypocrite because I was managing a sweets business where ghee and milk were used to make sweets. But, he quit in six months and came back to Coimbatore to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration from the same college.Īrmed with all the business acumen, he took over the family’s sweets business in 2017, but a realisation hit him. In 2014, he joined Larson and Toubro as a site accountant in Kolkata. He pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Sri Krishna Arts and Science College in Coimbatore. Thus, his vegan journey began in 2013.ĭuring this time, Aravindan was also a student with entrepreneurial dreams. Since childhood, the young entrepreneur had been involved in rescuing animals, and volunteering with several animal rights organisations.Īfter learning about animal cruelty and the unethical practices involved in sourcing milk, he decided to do away with dairy and any other products derived from animals. If you ask Aravindan why he turned vegan, he shares that the choice stemmed from the love for animals. Vijay Sweets serves at least 15 different sweets, and a crowd favourite is the vegan Mysore Pak, which is made using a secret recipe where coconut milk is an essential ingredient. Jackfruit-flavoured fresh vegan ice cream was a huge hit at Aravindan and Rhea’s wedding! Made using key ingredients like coconut milk and almond milk, Cocolicious manufactures in batches of 1,000 kg per month to retain freshness! Now, Cocolicious ice creams are available at an affordable price of Rs 50 per scoop! The flavours are developed based on the seasonal fruits that are sourced within a 100 km radius. Now, this ice cream is being sold at his family-run sweets brand in Coimbatore, ‘Vijay Sweets’.Īravindan took over his 30-year-old family business in 2017 and converted it into a 100 per cent vegan establishment in six months! None of the sweets served use dairy-derived ingredients like ghee or milk. But, we were certain that the ice cream should be affordable, natural, and free from preservatives,” recalls Aravindan. This made me believe that it was an idea worth pursuing. We could see that the guests loved it because they were going for second and third helpings. We also got ice cream churned at a factory and served it to our guests. “There were about 1,500 people at the wedding party, and the food was vegan.
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