Heritage Kulfi: Premium South Asian Ice Cream Makes Official Debut at Gourmet Retailer Citarella
Just in time for the holidays and New Year, Heritage Kulfi, the family-owned business bringing traditional South Asian flavors to America’s ice cream scene, is quickly finding its way onto shelves throughout New York and New York City! After gaining incredible popularity with shoppers at Lincoln Market in Brooklyn, Westside Market in Manhattan, and more, Heritage Kulfi garnered strong demand for further expansion. Heritage Kulfi is answering that call by expanding its New York distribution and gracing the shelves of one of New York’s most renowned source for outstanding gourmet groceries for more than a century, Citarella. Heritage Kulfi’s full line of delectable flavors is now on shelves at all Citarella locations, with two brand-new additions coming in 2023!
Kulfi is a frozen dairy dessert that has been popular throughout South Asia and the Middle East for hundreds of years. Today, Heritage Kulfi, a South Asian-owned brand based in Princeton, New Jersey, takes a modern spin on the longtime favorite, combining the freshest milk and cream from locally and regionally sourced farms with all-natural, non-GMO ingredients to bring the authentic South Asian dessert to freezers across America, giving families a fresh, new dessert experience. Heritage Kulfi achieves a unique, creamy texture through a proprietary slow-cooking process. With its South Asian-inspired flavors, the brand embraces tradition while creating its own identity in today’s market.
Heritage Kulfi’s unique flavors are built from scratch to be vegetarian, egg-free, gluten-free, and halal. After a year of development, sampling, and establishing partnerships, Heritage Kulfi launched its original flavor line in winter 2021, with a distinct lineup of eight delicious, velvety, alluring, and intense flavors, including:
- Cardamom Chai – assam black tea leaves steeped in sweet cream with cardamom and cloves
- Earl Grey – a special blend of black tea leaves, bergamot oil, and cornflower petals
- Alphonso Mango – all-natural, real Alphonso mangos cooked down into a sweet cream
- Saffron – the highest quality premium saffron threads, handpicked from crocus flowers and steeped in sweet cream
- Pistachio – made with all-natural California pistachios, roasted and salted
- Rosewater – a fragrant and sophisticated rose flavor balanced by rich sweet cream
- Vanilla Bean – premium Madagascar vanilla with added ground vanilla beans
- Coconut – all-natural, real coconut flakes in a rich coconut sweet cream
Two exciting, brand-new flavors are set to join Heritage Kulfi’s incredible lineup and hit the market in 2023: Malai Sweet Cream and Almond Blossom. Vegan and dairy-free flavors are currently under development.
Since its recent marketplace debut, Heritage Kulfi has gained rapid popularity, marking itself as a new favorite in the ice cream world and solidifying unprecedented retail expansion. The full flavor line can be found in the frozen food section of all seven New York and Connecticut Citarella locations.
“At Heritage Kulfi, we craft each flavor with the utmost care. We meticulously manage every step of the process, from sourcing the best ingredients to the final 16-ounce pints,” says Mansoor Ahmed, CEO and Founder of Heritage Kulfi. “To have our product picked up in an outstanding gourmet retailer like Citarella is not only an honor and a privilege, it also encourages us to continue in our creativity and bring forth more innovative and delicious ice creams.”
Mansoor Ahmed, CEO and Founder of Heritage Kulfi, was born in Manhattan, New York to traditional Pakistani parents who immigrated from South Asia. After years of working with other kulfi makers in the dessert industry, Ahmed moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where he discovered that he was in the epicenter of a burgeoning ice cream destination.
For Ahmed and many people worldwide, 2019 and 2020 marked periods of radical change, and Ahmed found his interests and priorities shifting. After establishing roots with the Princeton South Asian community and remaining active with the South Asian community across the river in New York, Ahmed realized there was a demand for high-quality, locally made products that speak to the South Asian experience.
Heritage Kulfi is currently distributed in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware, and growing across the country. For a complete list of retailers, visit heritagekulfi.com/connect. These retailers now include all seven Citarella locations, which can be found at citarella.com/store locator. All rich, delectable varieties are available for an SRP of just $7.99 per pint, or 16-ounce container.
While many brands in recent years have been cutting portion sizes to save money – a process known as ‘shrinkflation,’ wherein 1 pint has come to mean 14 ounces instead of 16 – at Heritage Kulfi, one pint is truly 16 ounces, inspiring the company’s tagline and recognizable merch design: “1 pint = 16 oz.”
Heritage Kulfi partners directly with local and regional farms to ensure the freshest, best flavors of milk and cream, while local sourcing also results in a reduced carbon footprint for logistics and transport. The uniquely designed paper packaging is also sustainably sourced and certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
Heritage Kulfi is a certified minority-owned business.
learn more about Heritage Kulfi, visit heritagekulfi.com.
About Citarella
New York City’s most trusted supplier for outstanding seafood since 1912, Citarella has since expanded to become the most respected source for gourmet groceries in New York, including prime meats, specially selected produce, and the highest-quality brands New York has to offer. Citarella’s impeccable reputation is upheld by the brand’s commitment to quality, value, and freshness. Locations Include:
- Upper West Side NYC – 2135 Broadway
- Upper East Side NYC – 1313 3rd Avenue
- West Village NYC – 424 6th Avenue at 9th Street
- East Hampton NY – 2 Pantigo Road
- Bridgehampton NY – 2209 Montauk Highway
- Southampton NY – 20 Hampton Road
- Greenwich CT – 600 West Putnam Avenue
About Heritage Kulfi
Heritage Kulfi is a brand of premium ice cream based in Princeton, NJ. Inspired by its South Asian heritage, Heritage Kulfi only uses high-quality, locally sourced ingredients to deliver modern interpretations of traditional and authentic South Asian flavors. Heritage Kulfi combines all-natural, non-GMO ingredients and over 90 years of ice cream making experience to create delicious, creative interpretations of South Asian ice cream (kulfi).
