In a country where summers stretch endlessly, and childhood memories are painted in shades of mango, cola, and orange, the humble ice pop once ruled every street corner. But as time passed, that burst of frozen joy quietly disappeared from India’s markets, unregulated, forgotten, and replaced by imported alternatives. When Ravi and Anuja Kabra noticed this gap, they didn’t just feel nostalgic; they saw an opportunity.
From a small kitchen experiment and hours spent researching food-grade colours and natural flavours, Skippi Ice Pops was born, India’s first homegrown, FSSAI-certified ice pop brand. What began as a quest to revive a lost taste of childhood quickly turned into a startup mission: to bring back a classic treat, made safer, healthier, and ready for a new generation.
Enter Skippi Ice Pops are India’s first branded ice pop company that decided to bring back that innocent delight, but with a modern, mindful twist. Founded by Ravi and Anuja Kabra in Hyderabad, Skippi Ice Pops isn’t just about frozen flavours; it’s about reviving memories, reimagining purity, and redefining fun for a new generation of snack lovers.
From Childhood Dreams to a Call to Entrepreneurship
The idea wasn’t born in a boardroom; it was born in nostalgia.
While studying and working abroad, Ravi and Anuja were struck by a simple realization: the world had evolved in its snacking habits, yet India’s frozen treat market remained largely unorganized, artificial, and unhygienic. The bright-coloured pops of their childhood were gone, replaced by processed syrups and synthetic sweetness. “We wanted to bring back the humble ice pop but make it cleaner, healthier, and more joyful” says Anuja.
That thought of equal parts sentiment and strategy sparked Skippi Ice Pops’s creation in 2020. Their mission was beautifully simple yet powerful:
“To make childhood memories taste better, using natural ingredients and honest fun.”
The Spark of Creation: Mixing Memories with Science
The early days of Skippi Ice Pops were anything but easy. With little precedent for branded ice pops in India, the team had to start from scratch experimenting with recipes, packaging, and temperature stability in India’s intense heat.
Their kitchen turned into a mini-lab: trays of liquid colours, test freezers, and flavour notes scribbled across notepads. Every batch was an experiment, one too sweet, another too soft, one that cracked when frozen.But slowly, a winning formula emerged: ice pops made with RO-purified water, natural colours and flavours, no artificial preservatives, and a dash of pure nostalgia.
With six initial flavours Cola, Raspberry, Lemon, Mango Twist, Orange, and Bubble-gum Skippi Ice Pops officially launched India’s first organized, branded ice pop company. The response? It melted hearts as fast as the pops melted in summer.
The Moment that Changed Everything
“We want to bring back the taste of childhood, but guilt-free”
Ravi kabra
In 2021, Skippi Ice Pops’s journey reached millions when Ravi and Anuja Kabra, Founders appeared on Shark Tank India Season 1. Standing on that iconic stage with their bright, frozen treats, they didn’t just pitch a product they pitched a feeling.
The Sharks smiled. The nostalgia was contagious. History was what came next. Skippi Ice Pops received ₹1 crore in finance for 15% stock, making it the first brand to ever land an all-shark transaction. That moment didn’t just catapult their brand, it made nostalgia cool again. From that day, Skippi Ice Pops wasn’t just a start up; it became a national symbol of how emotion and innovation can coexist.
The Sweet Science of Standardizing Flavor
Post–Shark Tank, the Kabras knew they weren’t selling just frozen sugar they were selling a memory, responsibly made.
With new manufacturing units in Hyderabad and a rapidly expanding distribution network, Skippi Ice Pops scaled to 10,000+ stores across India in less than two years. They also began exporting to Australia, Nepal, the Middle East, and beyond, taking the taste of Indian summer global.
Innovation didn’t stop there. Skippi Ice Pops ventured beyond ice pops, launching Corn Sticks, a gluten-free, palm oil–free snack range available in Tangy Tomato, Magic Masala, and Thai Chilli. Their philosophy remained unchanged: clean ingredients, joyful indulgence.
Today, Skippi Ice Pops stands tall as a new-age FMCG powerhouse, built on emotion, ethics, and entrepreneurial excellence.
| The Skippi Ice Pops Journey at a Glance | ||
| Stage | What Went Down | The Wow Factor |
| Everyday Nostalgia | Missing childhood ice pops sparked an idea. | “What if we could bring back that taste, naturally?” |
| Breakthrough Creation | Developed natural, preservative-free ice pops. | Pure fun meets pure ingredients. |
| Shark Tank Milestone | First Indian brand to win an all-shark deal. | “Nostalgia just became national.” |
| Expansion & Innovation | Grew to 10,000+ outlets and launched new snacks. | “India’s clean-label fun-food brand.” |
| Global Reach | Entered international markets. | “From Indian summers to global freezers.” |
Behind the Flavour: What Makes Skippi Ice Pops Special
Every Skippi Ice Pops ice pop tells a story of transparency, creativity, and community.
Here’s what makes them more than just frozen treats:
1. Naturally Flavoured, Honestly Made No artificial colours. No preservatives. No chemical aftertaste. Skippi Ice Pops uses fruit-based natural flavours and RO-purified water, ensuring every bite is refreshingly clean.
2. Environmentally Conscious Sustainability isn’t an afterthought. The brand uses minimal plastic, eco-friendly packaging, and efficient cold-chain logistics to minimize waste.
3. Family-First Philosophy As parents themselves, Ravi and Anuja focus on building a brand they’d trust for their own children. That authenticity defines Skippi Ice Pops’s culture and customer loyalty.
4. Fun, But Functional Innovation Skippi Ice Pops is redefining how Indians see “treats.” They’re creating a category of clean-label fun food combining nostalgia with mindful consumption.
| Skippi Ice Pops’s Flavour Spectrum | ||
| Category | Top Flavours | Unique Factor |
| Classic Pops | Cola, Orange, Lemon | Simple, nostalgic, refreshing |
| Fruity Blends | Mango Twist, Raspberry | Real fruit essence |
| Playful Pops | Bubble-gum, Kala Khatta (coming soon) | Fun, bold, youthful |
| Snacks Range | Corn Sticks (Magic Masala, Thai Chilli) | Guilt-freemunching innovation |
Beyond Frozen Treats: A Brand with Heart
At its core, Skippi Ice Pops isn’t about fancy ingredients or aggressive marketing, it’s about trust, joy, and the simple pleasures of life.
Ravi and Anuja often say they built Skippi Ice Pops not as entrepreneurs chasing trends, but as parents recreating happiness. That emotion shows in every decision from the use of RO water and natural flavours, to sustainable packaging and ethical sourcing.
Skippi Ice Pops’s approach is refreshingly human. It doesn’t just sell sweetness; it sells smiles. “We want every pop to spark a memory, every bite to bring a smile,” says Anuja.
Why Skippi Ice Pops Still Matters?
In a market flooded with artificial colours, preservatives, and overpriced indulgence, Skippi Ice Pops stands for something purer nostalgia done right.
Here’s why the brand continues to matter:
- Clean & Honest Ingredients: 100% naturally flavoured, preservative-free, and safe for kids.
- Inclusive Joy: Affordable treats for all age groups and income brackets.
- Sustainability: Environment-conscious production with minimal waste.
- Innovation: Constantly experimenting with new flavours and fun formats.
- Emotional Branding: More than a snack, a slice of childhood, reborn.
| The Impact of Skippi Ice Pops | ||
| Metric | Then | Now |
| Ice Pop Market (India) | Unorganized, niche | Branded, scalable, hygienic |
| Retail Presence | Local markets | 10,000+ stores across India |
| Product Range | 6 flavours | 15+ SKUs including snacks |
| Exports | None | Global presence (Asia, Middle East, Oceania) |
| Brand Recognition | Local start up | National nostalgia brand |
The Television Deal that Made Skippi a National Favorite
The Shark Tank India appearance wasn’t just a funding milestone it was a cultural and commercial turning point for Skippi Ice Pops. In a matter of minutes, what began as a heartfelt pitch rooted in childhood nostalgia became a nationwide phenomenon.
The ₹1 crore investment from all six Sharks didn’t just inject capital; it injected credibility. Almost overnight, Skippi went from being a promising startup in Hyderabad to a brand every Indian could relate to and root for. The “all-shark deal” became a badge of trust that opened doors to distributors, retailers, and investors across the country.
In the six months following the episode, Skippi’s sales reportedly surged by over 40x, and its online orders skyrocketed, fueled by viral buzz and repeat customers who wanted to “taste the nostalgia.” The brand’s digital following grew exponentially, with Skippi becoming a case study in how authentic storytelling and product integrity can drive viral growth.
But beyond numbers, Shark Tank gave Skippi something far more valuable a platform to represent India’s new generation of homegrown brands that blend emotion with innovation. The Kabras used that visibility not just to scale sales, but to educate consumers about clean-label frozen treats and ethical snacking.
“Shark Tank gave us the push, but what kept us going was the love from people who saw themselves in our story.”
Ravi kabra
The Future: Freezing Forward
For Skippi Ice Pops, this is just the beginning. The brand’s ambitions are melting borders literally and figuratively.
Imagine vending freezers in schools and malls, new regional Indian flavours like Imli Twist, Jaljeera Pop, and Kala Khatta Revival. Imagine Indian-made ice pops finding homes in Dubai, Singapore, and London each bite carrying the taste of Indian summers.
The Kabras envision Skippi Ice Pops as the brand that will redefine fun snacking for the next generation responsible yet irresistible, nostalgic yet new.
The Final Chill: A Treat Reimagined
Skippi Ice Pops didn’t set out to disrupt technology or build billion-dollar software. It set out to do something simpler to make people smile again.
From the memory of melting ice pops on childhood fingers to sleek, hygienic, naturally flavoured treats in modern freezers, Skippi Ice Pops has done more than launch a product it has rekindled a feeling. Because true innovation doesn’t always need wires or code sometimes, it just needs heart, flavour, and the courage to reimagine the familiar.
From Hyderabad to the world, Skippi Ice Pops has proven that joy like ice can be refrozen, reimagined, and served again. Skippi Ice Pops didn’t just revive the ice pop. It brought back the taste of pure, simple happiness one bite at a time.
