ITC has entered into a partnership with Havmor Ice Cream to distribute ITC Master Chef Frozen Snacks through 100 Havmor ice-cream mobile carts in the national capital region.

An ITC statement said Havmor Ice Cream’s pushcart network will be used to sell the frozen snacks during winter (November to March), a peak season for the snacks and a non-peak season for ice cream. The frozen foods industry registers a 30 per cent increase in sales during winter, compared to summer, it said.

Ashu Phakey, Vice-President and Business Head, ITC Limited (Frozen Foods), said, “Healthy and convenience-based snacking as a trend is growing across the country as consumers become more health-conscious, whilst having lesser time on their hands due to a busy lifestyle.”

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The company said that over 50 ITC Master Chef frozen snack products, for both foodservice industry and retail end-users, are available in over 100 cities.

“We are glad to partner with Havmor Ice Cream to further strengthen our distribution reach,” Phakey added

The mobile carts will sell frozen snacks ranging from burger patties to fries, pizza pocket to aloo tikki, potato bites to harabhara kebab, among others.

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Komal Anand, MD and CEO, Havmor Ice Cream, said, “This is a win-win initiative for both companies and channel partners. It helps ITC Master Chef enhance availability during season and allows Havmor Ice Cream’s channel partners generate incremental revenues during winter months. Expanding pushcart operations is an integral part of Havmor Ice Cream’s strategy to enhance its reach. Given that the frozen supply chain in India is evolving, leveraging the existing ecosystem to expand reach at optimised cost will continue to remain a focus area.”

The frozen foods retail market has been growing at 15 per cent CAGR, with their availability also expanding in e-commerce channels, the statement added.

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