Italian firm eyes Bengal ice-cream maker

An Italian frozen dessert company will soon seal a deal to pick up 40 per cent stake in a West Bengal′s homegrown ice-cream maker. Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh, Managing Partner, Rainbow Dairy Food Product, said: "We are in advanced talks with two Italian frozen dessert companies for technical and financial joint venture and we′ll seal a deal with one of them in a month′s time. Though the deal is not yet sealed, we′ll divest 40 per cent stake in the company having its product brand name Milkberry.” Jean-Claude Morel, Founder and Managing Partner, Bizdev, Italy, said "Italian companies are very impressed and excited over the positive developments taking place in West Bengal recently. "I personally attended Bengal chief minister′s business meetings in Milan as part of the Italian business team and our interest in this part of India grew manifold. We are very excited about the establishment of an association with Milkberry.” Ghosh said Rainbow Dairy is in the ice-cream making and distributing business for the past five years with a double-digit growth and a manufacturing facility close to Kolkata. "We are now aiming at a high growth rate of 100 per cent with new flavours with Italian tie-up. The new products will be co-branded.” ′Milkberry′ has a current capacity of 800 litres/hour and presence in the eastern and north-eastern states, with more than 40 variants and flavours.