Keventers, one of the newest attractions at Labim Mall, has an incredible legacy dating back to 1925. Edward Keventer established his private limited Dairy company in India which has now emerged as a prominent Dairy Industry in India. By the 1940’s, Ram Krishna Dalmia acquired the Keventers dairy project and a company was created by the name ‘Edward Keventers Successors’. After this point, things began to escalate quickly.

To the delight of many people who are familiar with the Keventers name the iconic dairy brand is now in Nepal. Bringing over their attractive wide glass bottles and an array of fresh flavors of rich milkshakes, Keventers are getting all the attention they deserve.

And it couldn’t have come at a better time. The festive season has truly manacled itself to our national psyche where we have substituted most beverages with booze or booze ladled fancy cocktails. We could use a little break and skip the hangovers for once.

Bhaskar Koirala has been an integral role of bringing Keventers to Nepal and it was only apt that we learn more about the brand and its plans regarding its establishment in Nepal. Here are the excerpts.

HOW DID THE IDEA OF INTRODUCING KEVENTERS MILKSHAKE TO NEPAL COME ALONG?

I was not in the food and beverage industry. I was more into foreign policy and diplomacy. So, the way it’s related the institute in Nepal is very hard because of the funding problems. There is a cash crunch in this economy. So, I thought I should do some business. My cousin owns the Keventers brand in India which was passed on to him from his grandfather. I had been following his work and I found it to be an interesting idea and an interesting product. And that’s how it started.

WHAT SORT OF RESPONSE DID YOU HAVE IN MIND? HOW HAS THE RESPONSE BEEN?

This was something completely new for me and I didn’t know what to expect. Me and my brother made the decision to do this and sort of jumped in. Thankfully, the feedback has been very positive from day one, which is encouraging.

The aesthetic appeal is a huge plus and it has been able to enjoy considerable success in India, but that doesn’t guarantee anything.

WHAT ARE THE OBSTACLES THAT YOU HAD TO OVERCOME IN THE PROCESS OF ESTABLISHING THE FRANCHISE IN NEPAL?

Like they say, it’s not easy doing business in Nepal. We had problems in the beginning with the registration and licensing and we also had some taxation issues but we got through that. Like everything else with the Nepalese government, it takes a lot of time.

Importing the materials across the border was difficult thanks to customs. But that’s the way it is and you need to deal with each and every problem with patience and try to get the best possible solution by doing what is needed to tackle that problem.

WHAT FUTURE PLANS DO YOU HAVE IN MIND TO EXPAND IN TERMS OF PRODUCTS AVAILABLE OR OPENING UP SOME MORE OUTLETS?

I cannot make the decision of increasing the product line of make huge decisions because I am a franchisee. But yes, based on my experience here in Nepal, I can propose to expand the outlets in Nepal and also include some flavors that may be loved by the customers in here through reviews.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM STRATEGIES?

Our current strategies include strengthening the packaging and making it relatable to the Nepalese scenario. If you see the designs in the bottle we have the pictures of things that identify Nepal, the rhododendron and different temples from Nepal. So, that is our current strategy; “nepalifying” the product to build a different mark in the market.

LIKE THEY SAY, IT’S NOT EASY DOING BUSINESS IN NEPAL. WE HAD PROBLEMS IN THE BEGINNING WITH THE REGISTRATION AND LICENSING AND WE ALSO HAD SOME TAXATION ISSUES BUT WE GOT THROUGH THAT. LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE WITH THE NEPALESE GOVERNMENT, IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME.

WHAT SORT OF SUSTAINABILITY PLANS/STRATEGIES IS KEVENTERS PLANNING ON IMPLEMENTING FOR THE LONG RUN?

To be honest, sustaining a business in the Nepalese market is very hard, but everything has its perks and drawbacks. The current situation in Nepal is that if something new enters the market it creates an impact but slowly it starts deteriorating and that business loses its spark. So, keeping that in mind, our sustainability plan is to keep including new things continuously to help keep the market that we already have and also to follow that target market.

WHICH IS THE MOST POPULAR FLAVOR?

All the flavors are loved but our most selling flavor is the Mint Oreo shake and the tutti-frutti flavor.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE FROM KEVENTERS IN THE FUTURE?

As of now I cannot guarantee anything but you can probably see outlets in different areas and interesting new marketing strategies to keep staying in the market. And also maybe the product line can increase if things go according to plan.