If you loved ‘ice pepsis’, you will be thrilled to know India finally has its first ice pop with this startup in Hyderabad that works with natural flavours
Hyderabad-based Anuja and Ravi Kabra launched, what the duo claim to be India’s first ice pop brand called Skippi. Started in April 2021, the founders claim their ice pops are 100% naturally flavoured — containing natural colours, preservatives and sweeteners.
Skippi also made it to the top five favourite brands of business-pitch reality show Shark Tank India. Interestingly, these ice pops are sold at room temperature in liquid form in tubes. They need to be frozen for about eight hours to get the ice pops.
launched to bring back schools days memories of having ‘ice pepsis’, Skippi Icepops is the first brand to be sold at organised retail shelves in the country. This feature also perhaps makes Skippi one of the fastest-selling products on online platforms and their website. The duo took inspiration for their product from the ice pop brands that they used to enjoy when they lived and worked in Australia.
Health in focus
Explaining about ‘naturally’ flavoured, coloured and preservatives claims, Anuja says the colours and flavours used are all fruit and vegetable extracts. “While maintaining the fun aspect, we took care about not using artificial colours and flavours.” The flavours that are available right now are raspberry, orange, cola, mango twist, bubblegum and lemon across all major online marketplaces such as Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Qtrove and also on the Skippi website.
Ravi has been a professional commodity trader and an entrepreneur since 2005. Throughout his career, he has been involved in the import and export of multiple industrial and consumer products including food and non-food items. Alongside being an entrepreneur, he garnered experience working in Australia with Fortune 500 companies such as DuPont, GWF, Kuehne Nagel and more.
“Having served in key positions at leading companies, I decided to use my experience to start something that my wife and I enjoyed during our stay in Australia. When we first saw the ice pops it took us back to our childhood days when they were the most forbidden thing to suck upon purely because our elders were worried about water quality and the colours used. With all those restrictions they were still the most sought-after treats to buy with whatever little pocket money one had,” says Ravi.
The founders however are clear about not wanting to brand their product as healthy. Says Ravi, “It is a fun product. Post-COVID everyone has jumped onto the healthy bandwagon. We as entrepreneurs, were sure about not taking the ‘healthy product’ path. Anuja and I felt we needed some food as well.”
