Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Jul 11: In a first-of-its-kind, Turquoise Turkish Ice Cream has opened its first branch in Srinagar – the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
The ice cream franchise originates from Turkey and is owned by two Kashmiri students – Moin Ayoub, an MBBS student, and Abid Naseer, a BTech student.
Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the staff at the stall located in Srinagar’s city mall said, “It is a renowned Turkish-based ice cream brand and now has a branch in Srinagar. Our ice cream arrived in India in 2016. Since then, we have been expanding our business and opening chains in India and other countries as well. We have several chains in India, including locations in Udaipur, Karela, Rajasthan, Delhi, and other places.”
In Kashmir, our franchise was inaugurated last Saturday, July 08, and we are grateful for the excellent response, said Mohammad Farhan, a staff member. He said the response in Kashmir has been better than all the other franchises they had in the region. “We are two people from Delhi, working under the supervision of our company Turquoise, and we also have one local staff member with us,” Farhan said.
Another staffer Mohammad Rizwan said the franchise has identified additional locations in Kashmir where it plans to open more outlets. “We have more than thirteen franchises in India, and more are being established in other cities as well as branches in different countries. It is a Turkish concept that was previously limited to major cities, but now it has arrived in Kashmir, providing opportunities and employment for the locals,” he said.
Regarding the ice cream itself, Rizwan explained that it is handmade Turkish ice cream. “We have been trained to make this ice cream in Delhi, and after opening the franchise, we train locals who, in turn, train others,” he said. “It is made from milk, and the shelf life of the ice cream is six months. Once prepared, we freeze the ice cream here, and it is ready to be sold.”—(KNO)
