Keventers: A Lesson in Rebuilding

Vandya Bisaria

Keventers: A Lesson in Rebuilding

Every country in the world is unique in its food and beverage culture. Based on the availability of materials and the ability to use them, each country develops its own salient cuisine. India is fortunately an amalgamation of many societies and cultures. When Keventers was launched in the country, it fit perfectly into the profile of what a good product should deliver - soul-touching and subtle flavours. With a history spanning more than a century, Keventers represents innovation and rejuvenation.

Keventers. Illustrated by Daniya Shah: Visual Storyteller at ThisDay

In the 19th century, Northern Europe began experimenting with farming. While using it to produce materials that would bring in money, they also began to see it as a scientifically teachable discipline which enabled industrial organization of farm products and efficient marketing of the same.

The British in India tried to do the same. Recovering after the bloodshed during the Revolt of 1857, they began to look for new ways in which they could recover the money they had lost. For the same, they decided to call a Swedish man called Edward Keventer in 1899. By coming to India, Keventer not only left a magnificent brand in his name but also came to be known as the pioneer in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry. He unleashed a dairy revolution and changed the world for milk lovers.

Edward Keventer came to India prepared to unleash a dairy revolution - the kind the British would have no objection to. He understood India’s complexity, its strengths and shortcomings and then developed a strategy to develop the industry. He began operations to organise, produce, develop and implement captive dairy farms for the British army in India.

After thoroughly researching the impact of various cattle-feeds on milk yield and different characteristics of breeds, Keventer designed cattle sheds, feeding troughs and farm workers’ quarters. He also reduced the need for labour by introducing automation.

A special feature of Keventer’s intervention was his creative techniques to increase efficiency. He made sure to ship live milch (milk-producing) cattle at regular intervals and found a method to make butter without using refrigeration. Keventer was unlike other entrepreneurs of the colonial time - his first and foremost concern was for the health and hygiene of his animals and farm workers.

All of these developments were very important for the setting of what was to be the most popular milkshake brand in India. In 1925, under Keventer’s supervision, the first dairy unit for a dairy products company, Keventers, was set up in the Chanakyapuri area of Delhi.

Keventer died in 1937 and the unit was managed by his nephew Werner Keventer until 1940, when Ram Krishna Dalmia of the Dalmia Group bought the brand. The plant was modernised with the latest machinery for milk bottling and pasteurising. In the 1940s, Keventers rose to become a prominent dairy manufacturer, having braved the turmoil during the freedom struggle. It was famous for its milk and ghee and was responsible for popularising Cassata ice creams, which are layered with different flavours and often have sponge cake in between.

During its peak popularity, Keventers had 48 distributors and stockists. It soon started expanding to less perishable items to deal with the ever increasing demand for its products, including milk powder and condensed milk which was used by the Indian Army.

However, the skies soon darkened against Keventers’ rising fame as the original factory was shut down when Chanakyapuri was changed into a residential area. What was once an industrial locality was now reconstructed for families and many manufacturing units had to shut their doors and leave.

The 1970s marked a period of stillness for Keventers. Ram Krishna Dalmia began investing in other business ventures and for many decades, no one heard the name Keventers again. If this story ended here, Keventers would be seen as a relic of the past - a faded name ravaged by the dust of time. But Keventers is the name of a flourishing company and the tale of its resurrection is a fight against the transience of time.

In 2013, Agastya Dalmia - the grandson of Ram Krishna Dalmia, decided to restore the brand along with his friend Aman Arora. The initial launch attempt fell on its face as the store had to close within nine months of its launch. The determined duo did not give up though and were joined by Sohrab Sitaram.

There were several problems that they had to deal with. First of all, their current consumer base was composed of Generation X and not the millennials. They also had to track down the original recipe of milkshakes for authenticity which had to be traced back to Edward Keventer himself. But with some financial tactics and lots of quality, they were able to revive the brand.

The classic milkshake was initially sold in only the original flavours - chocolate, butterscotch and strawberry. However, new flavours like chocolate mint, banoffee and tutti-frutti were introduced for the younger generation. But in making new changes, Keventers did not forget its core aesthetics. Instead of selling the milkshake in PVC cups like before, the brand now sold their milkshake in glass bottles which shone with their logo. The bottles were reusable and soon came to be known as a collector’s item.

Keventers also utilised the perks of the digital age and increased their presence on social media. Their customers were initially in their 30s and 40s - people who had come back to relive the nostalgia of their childhood. Soon, the millennials were roped into experiencing the exquisite flavours.

Dalmia also started selling master franchise rights to boost their finances. This way, other stakeholders got permission to start a store in the name of Keventers while paying royalty to the company. To ensure that the overall experience remains the same, the Keventers team decides the interior and supplies the raw materials like flavoured syrups for making the milkshakes and ice cream. This franchising model allowed the brand to spread its presence to countries like the USA. Nepal, Kenya etc. At one point of time, Dalmia recalls how the company began opening 15 stores each month.

Despite coming back in a very saturated marketplace and competing with brands like Amul and Frozen Bottle, Keventers not only managed to rise to the top but also maintained it spectacularly. Its century-old legacy played a central role in its success as the wisdom of at least four generations culminated into one company, with owners from different walks of life and different perspectives.

Keventers has proved that the key to success is time and experience. This is a brand which first saw the independence struggle and then reeled under a changing India. In the time when the company stopped producing, Dalmia saw the market heave and change constantly. He understood the patterns and trends and perhaps that is why Keventers did not suffer as much due to the pandemic. Faced with another calamity created by changing times, the company brought in safety regulations like safety seals, temperature checks, in-store hand wash stations and no contact preparation for ice creams.

Dalmia executed proactive and aggressive strategies from the start. In this way, he mimicked Edward Keventer’s approach when he came to India 123 years ago. These strategies were what helped to make up for the inactive period. From the edge of the precipice of fading into the pages of history to writing history itself, Keventers has done a marvellous job of being a living, breathing story of courage and success. It also symbolises the good that can come out of times as dark as the colonial era. Maybe it is a lesson in time, a lesson in rebuilding.