What’s in a name? Sometimes, everything. Such is definitely the case when it comes to Keventers- a name that elicits memories of a lovely childhood, spent drinking cold milkshakes under the scorching sun. 

And for those of us who are not familiar with Keventers, it is quite simply one of our first ever ‘Made in India’ brands. While the tagline says since 1925, the story is much older. In 1889, Edward Keventer, a Swedish dairy entrepreneur and technologist made his way to India to pave his way and create a brand. In 1894, he took over the Aligarh Dairy Farm and started creating milk and milk products like cheese and butter. It was a natural fit since we are a largely milk loving nation. 

And so, in 1925, Edward Keventer’s success was formalized, and the brand was officially born. Soon, Keventers was springing up in new locations like Delhi, Aligarh, Calcutta, and Darjeeling, making the same great products and cementing its status as one of India’s leading dairy brands.

Over the years, Keventers became massively popular for its fresh dairy products like milk, butter, cheese, and other items- the brand is also credited for coming up with the unique design for the Cassata ice cream which is a favourite among Indians to this day. The business gradually expanded to other cities in North and East India and the legacy continued.

In the midst of the freedom movement, even Keventers saw a shift in ownership. Edward Keventer had passed on, and his nephew sold the brand to Ramkrishna Dalmia, one of the leading industrialists at the time. The brand went through a slight deviation from the norm, supplying milk powder to the Indian army during the 60s. There were still many stockists, delivering the beloved milkshakes and dairy products Indians had become so used to.