The reign of ‘Sikkim Empire’ begins

SIKKIM MILK UNION’S ICE-CREAM IS A HIT
ANAND OBEROI
GANGTOK, 12 June: ‘Rich,’ ‘luxurious,’ ‘cool,’ ‘smooth,’ ‘creamy,’ ‘heavenly,’ ‘satisfying’... these are some of the terms used to describe one’s craving for ice-cream. The ‘power of ice cream’ as many explain has the ability to change one’s state of mind like when you’re feeling low -- maybe after a bad blind date -- you eat ice cream… and you feel a little better, because you have something that satisfies you or when you’re having a bad day, there’s always ice cream to pick you up.
Ice-cream for many is a product you can count on to be there for you in good times and in bad and now here is our own Sikkim Empire brand of ice-cream in different flavours which will help you beat the heat of the sun as well as the heat of everyday life.

The Sikkim Empire brand of ice- creams, a produce of the Sikkim Milk Union (SMU), comes in four flavors, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and mango and was launched by the Chief Minister in March this year and in just two months since its first batch reached retail outlets, is giving major market players such as Amul and Vadilal a run for their money.
“Sikkim Milk was established in 1980 as a cooperative which had an output of 700 litres of milk per day, 32 years down the line it now involves ten thousand farmers state-wide and produces 16,000 litres every day. With the cooperative union catering basically to urban centers, it seemed a great idea to launch our own brand of ice- creams along with our other range of milk products,” shares the Sikkim Milk Managing Director, Dr. P Senthil Kumar.
With an initial investment of just Rs 42 lakh on machinery and an additional Rs 10 lakh for the packaging unit, Sikkim Milk Union has added the ice-cream manufacturing unit to its already existing infrastructure for milk processing. With subsidies being provided to retailers for refrigeration uits and deep-freezers, Sikkim Empire within this year has plans to expand its output of 900 litres of ice-cream per day to any quantity as per the market demand.
“We are producing three batches, each of 300 litres per day, four days a week. There are still some teething problems since this is a new venture. We already had most of the infrastructure in place and with a little improvisation we have started our own unit. This is just the initial phase, we will start with aggressive marketing and take production levels up within this year,” the MD adds.
At present, the product is being sold from select outlets all of whom are optimistic about the prospects of Sikkim Empire, stating that the product does not compromise on quality and is completely organic. The pricing also works in favour of the product which comes in 250ml, 500ml and 1000ml family packs, cups and Sikkim Milk has now added two new flavours - the elaichi and orange sticks.
It is also informed that the ice-cream is currently being supplied in insulated containers through Sikkim Milk truck dispatches; this limited supply in the market is slowly earning respect with demand growing every day. Keeping this in mind, Sikkim Milk has now ordered for modified refrigeration and insulated vans to start reaching the districts and other major towns.
Trainings and recruitment of specialized manpower is also on the cards, informs the MD who added that the ice-cream unit is currently being run by professionals from the already existing employees who were trained for the same. With more stress now being given to the stabilization for the production unit, a strong surge of marketing will be undertaken soon, he informs.
“With minimal investment we have delivered a successful product. We already have paneer, churpi and curd amongst some of the products but with ice-cream we have diversified and targeted a larger section of customers. Feedback suggests that the ice-creams were well received by the tourists as well. We hope to keep-up this good image and deliver a quality product which will be a household name in the coming days in Sikkim as well as neighbouring West Bengal,” states the MD.
With a huge supply of milk from local dairies guaranteed, opting for a new venture with the excess milk is a positive initiative. With ice-cream market here dependent completely on Siliguri for supplies [thus far], Sikkim Milk now offers a home-grown alternative. So next time you go to buy an ice-cream, give Sikkim Empire a try.