Princeton Ice Cream Maker Serves Scoops Of South Asian Flavors

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton resident Mansoor Ahmed gets nostalgic talking about summers spent in the South Asian community. The highlight for him would be gorging on kulfi, a frozen sweet treat.

Ahmed took his love for the dessert and started Heritage Kulfi, a Princeton-based ice cream brand that celebrates South Asian flavors.

“Heritage Kulfi is an extension of my own identity as a South Asian and growing up in this culture,” Ahmed said. “For me, it's all very nostalgic.”

Kulfi is South Asian ice cream, much like how gelato is quintessentially Italian. It is creamy, dense, and authentic cooking techniques are used to bring out that specific flavor profile.

“There are certain key attributes that are expected with kulfi. We don't rely on artificial ingredients, flavorings or extracts,” explains Ahmed. “You have to use a slow cooking method, cool it overnight and infuse the flavors then let them set.”

Ahmed buys dairy and cream from various local farms and uses authentic South Asian ingredients to favor the kulfi. Flavors include rose water, cardamom chai, saffron, pistachio, Alphonso mango and coconut. This year, Ahmed launched two new flavors - Almond Blossom and Malai Sweet Cream.

“I have a proprietary steeping process for how I bring my teas and the saffron flavors,” Ahmed said.

Raised in New York to immigrant Pakistani parents, Ahmed moved to Princeton in 2014 when his wife was enrolled at Princeton University’s PhD program.

“I have a company that is involved in distributing frozen products and after moving to Princeton, I made the Municipality a hub for my business,” Ahmed said.

The idea for Heritage Kulfi came to Ahmed in 2020, during the pandemic.

“During COVID, I took a step back from my distribution company, and decided I wanted to start my own brand. I learned about commercialized ice cream making and how to engage with these various ingredients. I learned how to bring unique, innovative flavors, and highlight this style of ice cream, that wasn't really represented in the mainstream markets,” Ahmed said.

The proprietor and CEO spent another year in R&D and at the end of 2021, Heritage Kulfi finally hit stores.

“As a child, I found kulfi the most magical sort of dessert. So it’s important for me to highlight the importance of this dessert in South Asian cuisine,” Ahmed said.

“As someone who has memories of eating South Asian desserts, kulfi making speaks to me and is a very emotional process that I engage in.”

The brand is available at select stores in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.

All flavors are egg-free, non-GMO, gluten-free, halal and kosher and come in sustainably sourced packaging, according to the company.

To find out where you can purchase Heritage Kulfi, click here.

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