FRISCO, Texas — A popular Indian ice cream chain recently landed in North Texas, bringing some authentic South Asian flavors to Collin County and adding to the growing list of global eateries in the region.
The Dumont Creamery and Cafe that opened in September in Frisco is the brand's first location in the United States. The ice cream shop was started in Hyderabad, India by brothers Vivek and Bhashkar Imampudi in honor of their father. More than 20 years later, the company operates one of India's biggest ice cream factories, with the capacity to churn out thousands of liters per hour.
One of the franchisees behind the new shop recently spoke to Dallas Business Journal about the business. Located at 1951 FM 423, suite 800, near Frisco's border with Little Elm, the Dumont Creamery shows how international flavors are reshaping the dining scene, and economy, in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro.
About 220,000 Indian Americans live in Dallas-Fort Worth, and Collin County is an emerging Indian-American hot spot, growing from 3.8% to 7.5% of the total population in the last decade, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. That's the highest percentage in DFW's four largest counties.
Businesses have taken note of this growing demographic, with several Indian grocery stores and restaurants opening in the past few years. Desi Chowrastha, an Indian grocery store and eatery, and Desi District, a restaurant that specializes in vegetarian dishes, are located within a mile of the new ice cream shop. Additionally, grocery store India Metro Hypermarket is set to start construction in McKinney, north of Frisco, in early 2024, according to a Dec. 18 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration.
Frisco’s Dumont Creamery has seen considerable success so far, franchise owner Sai Sashank said. Opening day a few months ago saw a line of people out the door, with several customers recognizing the ice cream brand from India, he said.
"They were excited for the flavors because no one else has it," Sashank said. "They were excited to get that flavor again here."
Sashank opened the shop with his longtime friend Tarang Tirumala. They both work as business consultants. The two moved to the United States from India in 2005 for college and ever since have wanted to bring a piece of home closer to them. In 2022, they reached out to the owners of Dumont to discuss launching in the U.S.
It costs around $250,000 to $350,000 to open a location. Sashanak said the Frisco owners have discussed the potential for other stores but there are no firm plans.
In addition to vanilla brownie and Oreo ice cream, the ice cream shop boasts unique flavors like cake and jam, made with spiced jam, and "kheer," which is a frozen take on an Indian rice pudding that is traditionally served warm. The kheer flavor is a coconut-based ice cream studded with dried fruits and nuts.
"In India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, 'kheer' is a popular dessert that everybody knows," Sashank said. "A lot of people connect to that and it just brings back memories."
He added the shop's ice cream channels flavors from around the world, from Italian-inspired sorbet to the English cake and jam flavor to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream, called "hokey pokey."
In addition to ice cream, the Dumont menu in Frisco includes bubble tea, coffee and other sugary beverages, including "falooda," which is an Indian milkshake doused in rose syrup and layered with vermicelli and basil seeds. It is often served with ice cream and sometimes jello, pistachio and cherries.
A single ice cream scoop goes for $3.99, and the shop encourages people to sample its many flavors to ensure customers are happy with what they pay for.
"The Indian population has moved so much — generally we tend to be in DFW and more so Frisco," Sashank said. “I’m pretty sure if the product is right, if it’s appealing to a lot of people, I think it’s going to bring in customers.”
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