In Mangalore, ‘I' is for Ideal

As a three-year-old, Daison Vaz of Mangalore used to accompany his parents on shopping trips to Hampankatta in Mangalore in 1985.

At a time when there were no big malls or multi-storeyed buildings, the sheer experience of shopping centred on one thing. That was ‘Gadbad' at Ideal.

You may wonder how Gadbad and shopping are related. But for Daison, now in his 30s, the Hampankatta shopping experience was and is synonymous with ‘Gadbad'.

For Deepak Kumar (29), Ideal is synonymous with treats. He stood some treats for his friends during his college days and received some as well.

As a nine-year-old two decades ago, visiting Ideal was a matter of prestige. Coming from a lower middle-class family, the treats at Ideal came only once in a while. He confesses he used to flaunt this fact.

When they go out of Mangalore, many people become Ideal's unofficial brand ambassadors. And it was evident when Roopa, a resident of Bangalore, got a job in Mangalore. The immediate advice of one of her friends was that she should visit Ideal.

Iconic brand

Ideal is the iconic ice-cream brand of Mangalore. Being a part of the lifestyle of a majority of Mangaloreans now, it has fans far and near.

Started with 14 flavours with one outlet on Market Road in Mangalore on May 1, 1975 by Prabhakara Kamath S., Ideal now has six outlets.

Ask Mukund Kamath S., its proprietor and son of Prabhakara Kamath, about its USP, he promptly replies: “Quality, quantity and reasonable price”.

“Our ice-creams are a replacement for meal,” says the younger Kamath with a smile, adding: “See, we give ice-cream like a meal with so many fruits and nuts. Once you eat one ‘Gadbad' or a Parfait it is a full meal. People treat it as their main meal and not as dessert.”

A SCOOP OF GADBAD

Launched in 1977, ‘gadbad' (the iconic brand of Ideal) was an instant hit. In Kannada, ‘ gadibidi ' is usually used to refer to a person in a hurry. The name came into being more because of its location in a market place and the clamour and flurry that abounds there.

Innovation was the key for this when ‘Gadbad' was launched in 1977. Gadbad is a concoction of three flavours, fresh and dry fruits and mixed fruit jelly.

Saying that ‘Gadbad' now has become a generic name, Kamath says that even some of the national-level players are using this name.

Even the customers vouch that Ideal's treats are replacements for a meal. “If you eat one ‘Gadbad' in the evening, you don't need to have dinner,” says die-hard Gadbad fan Daison.

Other brands of Ideal in demand are Parfait and ‘Dilkush'.

AFFORDABILITY

The price is affordable when compared to some of the general restaurants in the city, Daison adds.

Deepak Kumar says a low-budget party can be hosted for friends and relatives at Ideal. And he did that on his recent birthday.

“If I want to take my friends for a party elsewhere, I have to cough up twice the amount I pay at Ideal. And your friends are also happy that you are giving them the ice-cream treat,” he says.

Ask Daison why Ideal is synonymous with shopping for him, and he says it's because for Mangaloreans, a visit to Ideal is a pleasurable routine and a part of any shopping trip to the Hampankatta area.

His relatives from his native Kundapur (100 km from Mangalore) also do this. In spite of some other shopping complexes and a mall coming up in the vicinity, Ideal is still synonymous with shopping for many, he says. Kamath says Ideal has customers of all segments irrespective of the age barrier. “We have customers ranging from children to the young crowd to the older generation,” he says, adding that women outnumber men.

Daison says Ideal has hosted many a first date, including those of people now between 30 and 40 years of age.

Appealing to both the masses and the classes, Ideal is a place where the well-heeled and the not-so-well-heeled rub shoulders, he says. Deepak Kumar still visits Ideal, either to hang out with his friends or to celebrate any special occasion with his family.

Improving on the taste

Ideal now offers 40 flavours with more than 100 combinations, and customers remark that the taste has remained the same over the years.

However, Mukund Kamath says Ideal has improved the quality over the years. Ingredients have improved, as has the machinery.

“Now I have the technology at par with any other country in the world, though the scale of their operations may be bigger than us. Improvement in the machinery has definitely improved the quality,” he says.

Kamath, who has done courses in CFTRI (Central Food Technological Research Institute) and NDRI (National Dairy Research Institute) after completing B.Sc in 1995, says the taste buds of human beings change with time.

“If I give you a product, which was based on the technology and knowledge based 10 years ago, you may say that it's not good, though you might have admired it then. We are not noticing the difference in ice-cream making because it is gradual,” he says.

The wholesale market of Ideal is up to Goa in the north and Kanhangad in Kerala in the south. Mukund Kamath says Ideal's products are available at a minimum price of Rs 2 to Rs 600 at the factory level. The prices of the products offered at the parlours range from Rs 25 to Rs 100.

More Ideal

After opening its first parlour in 1975 on Hampankatta's Market Road, Ideal opened another on Ganapati High School (GHS) Road in the same area, in the same year. Mukund claims the GHS Road parlour with 300 seats, and spread over 7,000 sq. ft., is the biggest ice-cream parlour in India. Probe a little further and he says it serves only ice-cream, and it is not a restaurant. In most cases, ice-cream parlours can accommodate 15-20 people, he says.

Ideal started another outlet, Pabba's, in 1996. “Pabba is my father Prabhakara Kamath's nickname,” Kamath says. In recent years, Ideal has started two outlets in two malls in the city, and its own Ideal Café at Hampankatta.

Why not expand elsewhere? To that Mukund says Ideal is able to manage with the current set of people. “We have assets – people who have been with us for a long time. To start a new one, you need labour. That is in shortage. Otherwise, we should have had more parlours by now,” he adds.

So, next time you visit Mangalore, will you take yourselves over there for some Gadbad?

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