Innovating for a Healthier Sweet Tooth: An Interview with Shivaan Ghai, Director of The Brooklyn Creamery
Shivaan Ghai, Director of Business Development at The Brooklyn Creamery and the fourth-generation member of the Ghai family, has been instrumental in reimagining the traditional ice cream industry. With a family legacy of over 75 years in the ice cream sector, Shivaan has combined his entrepreneurial spirit, passion for health-focused products, and understanding of evolving consumer trends to drive the success of The Brooklyn Creamery. A graduate of NYU Stern with a double concentration in finance and management, Shivaan’s vision for the brand goes beyond conventional ice cream, embracing a future where indulgence meets health. In this interview, he discusses the inspiration behind the brand, its growth, and his plans for expanding into new markets.
What inspired you to launch The Brooklyn Creamery, and how has the journey of building the brand unfolded so far?
In terms of what motivated me to launch Brooklyn Creamery, I grew up in a family that's been in the food and hospitality industry for over 80 years. So, as a kid, it was natural for me to develop a passion for food. However, around the age of 16, I had a personal struggle with childhood obesity, weighing about 105 kilos. I set myself a goal to lose 15 to 20 kilos, and once I started the journey, I achieved my goal—but I didn’t stop there. Fitness and eating well became the mainstays of my life, and I started to enjoy the benefits.
After graduating from college, while studying at NYU in the US, I began to think about how I could marry my passion for food with my love of fitness and the legacy my family had provided me. That’s where the idea for a lower-calorie, no-added-sugar ice cream brand came from, and the vision for The Brooklyn Creamery was born. It was an interesting time that shaped who I am today. I know many people have had similar struggles, and I hope my products can help them achieve their goals.
Graviss Group has a long legacy in the ice cream and hospitality industries. Has this legacy influenced your approach to scaling and innovating The Brooklyn Creamery for the health-conscious and niche markets of today?
Having the support of my forefathers, who have collectively been in the ice cream and hospitality industries for over 100 years, has taught me the key things customers look for. For example, no matter how healthy our proposition is, customers still want that indulgence and great taste they associate with ice cream. From a product perspective, they always pushed me to ensure I deliver on those promises to customers.
As an entrepreneur, they’ve given me valuable advice on constantly solving problems, finding solutions, and pushing myself to improve every day. The goals we set for the business aren’t achieved overnight—they take time. Sometimes, the process can be discouraging due to the time it takes, but the mentality they've instilled in me is to always say, "I will solve this problem, I will come out stronger, and I will be better." This mindset is something I try to pass on to my team and the brand. It’s all about perseverance. You need a great product that the market wants, but without perseverance, no matter how good the product is, it won’t reach where it needs to be.
Can you tell us the story behind how The Brooklyn Creamery began? I understand you started it during your college years—what inspired you, and what was that journey like?
The Brooklyn Creamery was originally started in 2016 by four friends in Brooklyn. At the time, they were focused on selling low-fat puddings, so it had nothing to do with ice cream. I came across their products while studying at STERN, as I was always on the lookout for healthier options. I liked the brand and enjoyed its products, but nothing materialized at that point.
Fast forward to 2019, I was scrolling through Instagram and noticed that the brand had been inactive for about two years. I reached out to the founders to understand their journey, and they explained that despite their best efforts, they had to shut the business down. I shared my vision for the brand, my love for it, and told them I wanted to reimagine it as a healthy ice cream brand, taking it global and building The Brooklyn Creamery name.
They were very supportive and interested in the mission and were willing to pass on the company and the trademark to me. That’s when we took over, reimagined the brand, and in 2020, relaunched with an entire healthy ice cream portfolio.
How did you manage the growth of distribution channels as the brand expanded within India, the UAE, and other markets?
As the brand grew, so did the team. We were fortunate to find talented, like-minded individuals who were passionate about building the same vision. Along with that, we formed partnerships with excellent distribution partners who played a key role in expanding our reach. We look forward to continuing these relationships and building new ones to take the brand to even greater heights and into new markets.
In many blind tests, people can’t tell your keto and vegan ice creams apart from regular ice cream. What’s your secret for achieving such consistent flavor despite the different ingredients?
As I mentioned before, taste and indulgence are paramount. We’ve always ensured that no matter what product we bring to market, the one thing we cannot compromise on is the ice cream experience. It took a lot of time, innovation, and experimentation with different ingredients and combinations to finally arrive at the right formulas. Whether it’s our vegan products without dairy or our keto products without sugar, we make sure they provide the same mouthfeel and sweetness as traditional ice cream. It’s all about perseverance, hard work, and constantly innovating to deliver our keto and vegan offerings, as well as all our other products.
In a niche market like this, educating the customer is also an important part of growth. What is your approach to consumer education?
I think, in general, consumers have become more aware and health-conscious. Many "better-for-you" or healthier food brands have taken the fun out of eating better, but we believe that enjoying food is essential to eating better. At The Brooklyn Creamery, we focus on communicating the indulgence and taste you can still experience while making a smarter choice, rather than overwhelming customers with boring technical information. As I mentioned before, being healthy and tasty are of paramount importance, and I think that combination is what draws customers to our brand.
As a brand, we believe that customers are aware of their lifestyle preferences and dietary choices. So rather than pushing them to say, “You should eat vegan” or “You should eat low-cal,” our goal is to give them all the available options and let them choose what suits them best.
With growing competition from established brands, how do you differentiate The Brooklyn Creamery in the healthy ice cream space? What is your current market position here?
We don’t just compete with healthy ice cream brands, but also with established players. For those established brands, launching healthier variants is often not a top priority, whereas, for us, healthier options are everything. If you look at the market, established brands may offer only two or three healthy flavors, but we provide a wide range. Whether you want a scoop, a chocolate-coated bar, or a fruit pop, we have something for everyone. This product variety is key to our differentiation and success.
Two years ago, around 60-70% of your customer base favored low-calorie options. Have you noticed a shift in preferences since then, particularly toward vegan offerings?
I don’t think our low-calorie customers are moving to vegan or keto products, but rather both categories are expanding simultaneously with new customers. The low-calorie options appeal to fitness-conscious individuals or those with lifestyle concerns like sugar issues or obesity. Meanwhile, our vegan range caters to customers concerned with dairy intolerance or animal cruelty. In general, as people become more aware, both categories are growing without cannibalizing each other.
What new product lines are you currently developing? We’ve noticed you recently introduced a protein milkshake.
At The Brooklyn Creamery, our mission is to create enjoyable food experiences for everyone, regardless of their health journeys or lifestyle preferences. We don't want to limit that to just ice cream. Recently, we launched a range of no-added-sugar protein milkshakes, which have received a great response in the market. In fact, we sold out much quicker than we anticipated, but they will be back soon. While I can't reveal too much about upcoming products, I can say they will continue to be indulgent while offering health benefits—much better for you than what’s widely available in the market.
Can you describe your creative process for developing new flavors and how your R&D efforts contribute to this innovation?
The creation of new products is something the entire team collaborates on. We bring together our marketing, sales, R&D, and leadership teams to brainstorm. First, we assess if there are any gaps in the market—by comparing what we offer versus what the competition has. Second, we look at emerging trends, such as the growing popularity of matcha. Third, we take customer feedback seriously, filtering through suggestions to identify potential opportunities. For example, if someone suggested creating a zero-calorie ice cream, we might not be able to do that, but we look for feasible ideas with strong potential.
After this roundtable discussion, we move the selected products into the R&D stage. The team is given a brief outlining target calories, health benefits, and other criteria. They then collaborate with suppliers globally, sourcing high-quality ingredients and experimenting with combinations. First, we focus on getting the right texture and sweetness, followed by perfecting the flavor. For items like chocolate-coated bars or sandwiches, we also work on balancing the outer and inner layers.
This process involves a lot of back-and-forth, creating different samples and testing various combinations. Ultimately, when we're confident the product offers the desired health benefits and tastes just as indulgent as regular ice cream in a blind taste test, that's when we know it's ready for market.
Coming from a legacy like ours presents its own challenges—we set high expectations for ourselves. I believe that no matter your position in the organization, you should be interacting with everyone and helping to solve their issues at all levels. My passion drives me to do this, and it motivates me to push through the day, no matter how long, tiring, or stressful it may be.
Why do many vegan ice cream manufacturers choose coconut milk, despite its strong flavor? Is there a cost factor involved in this choice?
It's not related to cost. Typically, the options available are almond milk, oat milk, and coconut milk. With almond and oat milk, it's difficult to achieve the same dense, creamy, rich texture that we all enjoy in ice cream. Coconut milk makes that possible, which is why we use it in our products, and other brands do as well. It's not a cost-based decision—it's about delivering that indulgent, creamy experience customers expect.
What entrepreneurial milestones are you aiming for with The Brooklyn Creamery, and where do you envision taking the brand in the future?
Our vision is to develop the brand into a multi-category FMCG brand focused on the global "better for you" food and beverage market. That's why you see us launching ice cream, milkshakes, and other new products, while also expanding our reach further into the Middle East and evaluating markets in Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States. We aim to have a global presence with various product categories that offer an enjoyable food experience without compromising customers' lifestyles or dietary goals.
Recently, we launched in Saudi Arabia on Noon Minutes and other leading online platforms. We're in talks to enter the Qatar and Bahrain markets soon, and our business in Kuwait is growing steadily. While other markets are still under discussion, we hope to finalize them soon.
You currently rely heavily on delivery platforms like Noon and Talabat. Do you have plans to open physical stores in Dubai?
You can already find our products in offline stores like Carrefour, Geant, and Grandiose. Hopefully, we’ll soon be launching our very first retail location as well.
*This interview was conducted by journalist Shameena Shaffi, with videography by Pashmita Keni.