There is a new Zoroastrian player in the ice cream sandwich market — Tandy’s Creamery. "After spending five years studying in the UK, I wanted to come back and start a venture of my own,” 26-year-old founder Jehan Mehta told Parsiana on September 6, 2021. "Coming from a fourth generation business family (with interests in film processing and mining), I was very clear that the corporate world wasn’t for me and hence started searching for business opportunities,” he stated. A partnership with school friend Soham Jhaveri who had expertise in the food and beverage space followed. We "noted a tremendous scope in the biscuit ice cream market… After around eight months of research and development and testing, we launched this venture in June 2020.” As Mehta stated in an interview in Black and Gold, the magazine of the Bombay Gymkhana, "the road to entrepreneurship might be hard, but the thrill is incomparable.”
Above l: Jehan Mehta with a sampling of Tandy’s Creamery products
The Creamery’s range includes ice cream sandwiches and tubs in 13 different flavors ranging from the basic vanilla to salted caramel, rum and raisin and walnut praline. "Each of our sandwiches ranges between Rs 50 to Rs 70 whereas the (750 ml) tubs retail for Rs 300 to Rs 500,” noted Mehta. Sales are through one outlet on Charni Road (Daryush Bakery) and via WhatsApp (+91 9167882639) and social media. We "are soon onboarding onto Swiggy, Zomato, Big Basket and other online platforms… We believe the future is digital and would want to establish our footprint at an early stage.” They also sell bulk packs in the wholesale market to hotels, caterers, restaurants and clubs, said Mehta. "In addition to ice cream, we also ventured into selling fresh paneer during the lockdown… We supply to over 30 eateries, clubs and hotels all around Bombay… The goal is to eventually be a full-fledged dairy brand” with products for both the retail and wholesale market. Other plans include the launch of a sugar free and vegan range of ice creams "in the next two months… This too shall be available in both the sandwiches and tubs.”
Mehta and Jhaveri are in talks to set up a new manufacturing facility in Karnataka to enter markets in Goa, Karnataka and other parts of Maharashtra like Satara, Poona and Kolhapur, stated a detailed response from Mehta to Parsiana’s questions. "This would be a much larger factory manufacturing multiple dairy products to sell under the Tandy’s brand name, both in wholesale and retail markets.”
The entrepreneur said he named the enterprise for his late grandfather (legal luminary Tehmtan Andhyarujina). The senior gent was a "massive ice cream fan and his nickname was Tandy, short form for Tehmtan.” An alumnus of Cathedral and John Connon School and King’s College London, Mehta has a master’s degree in finance from the London School of Economics. Parents Ashad and Zia and younger brother Rishad, who is pursuing law, complete their family unit.