Two Indian ice cream brands publish their franchise costs in full. The rest publish a form.
Amul states a refundable deposit, shop area, renovation cost and equipment cost for each of its four parlour formats. Giani’s states a franchise fee, a total investment range and a gross margin. Naturals states that it currently charges no deposit and no franchise fee at all.
Havmor, Vadilal, Ibaco and Cream Stone publish nothing about money and quote per applicant instead.
That gap gets filled with numbers nobody stands behind. We opened each brand’s own franchise page rather than repeating what the aggregator sites quote.
Key Takeaways
- Amul publishes terms for four formats. Its scooping parlour needs 250 to 400 sq ft and a refundable deposit of ₹50,000.
- Giani’s is the only other brand stating figures on its own site: a franchise fee of ₹5 to 6 lakh and total investment of ₹15 to 25 lakh.
- Naturals states that no deposit or franchise fee is currently required, and that it plans to introduce them later.
- Havmor, Vadilal, Ibaco and Cream Stone publish nothing on cost. Treat every figure you read about them as unverified.
- Whichever brand you pick, get the deposit, royalty, territory and exit terms in writing. Five of these seven quote nothing until they have seen your location.
Which Ice Cream Franchises This Guide Covers
Seven brands, chosen because Indian buyers search for them by name and because each one handles the cost question differently. For franchise options beyond ice cream, our F&B franchise picks covers the wider field.
- Amul, the widest format range and the fullest published terms
- Giani’s, the only brand naming a franchise fee on its own site
- Naturals, states it currently charges nothing
- Havmor, asks your budget instead of stating its own
- Vadilal, a dealer model with no figures published
- Ibaco, whose enquiry sits under parent company Hatsun Agro
- Cream Stone, which publishes who it will sign rather than what it costs
Top 7 Ice Cream Franchise Costs in India
Here is every published figure in one place. The blank cells are not omissions on our part. They are what each brand chooses not to state.
| Ice cream brand | Fee or deposit stated | Setup cost stated | Area stated | Royalty stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amul Parlour | ₹25,000 refundable deposit | About ₹1.6 lakh, fit-out and equipment | 100 to 150 sq ft | None |
| Amul Scooping Parlour | ₹50,000 refundable deposit | About ₹4.5 lakh, fit-out and equipment | 250 to 400 sq ft | None |
| Giani’s | ₹5 to 6 lakh franchise fee | ₹15 to 25 lakh total investment | 100 to 400 sq ft | Not stated |
| Naturals | None currently required | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Havmor | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Vadilal | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Ibaco | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Cream Stone | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
These figures were correct at the time of writing. Confirm the current fees and investment with the franchisor’s own website before you commit.
Each brand is set out below, starting with the one that publishes most.
Amul Ice Cream Franchise Cost
Amul publishes requirements for four formats and puts total fit-out and equipment across the range at ₹1.5 lakh to ₹6 lakh, excluding property. Expected monthly turnover is stated as ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh, depending on location.
| Amul format | Refundable deposit | Area | Renovation | Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amul Parlour | ₹25,000 | 100 to 150 sq ft | About ₹80,000 | About ₹80,000 |
| Amul Scooping Parlour | ₹50,000 | 250 to 400 sq ft | About ₹3,00,000 | About ₹1,50,000 |
| Centre of Excellence stall | ₹50,000 | Allotted site | Stall ₹2.5 to 4 lakh | About ₹50,000 |
| Railway stall | ₹1,00,000 | Allotted site | Stall ₹2.5 to 4 lakh | About ₹50,000 |
Three things in that table are worth pausing on.
Every deposit is refundable, and none of them includes your shop rent or landlord deposit. Plenty of articles describe the same ₹25,000 as a non-refundable brand fee, which is the wrong way round.
The scooping parlour is the ice cream format proper, and it costs roughly three times the standard parlour to fit out. Amul specifies the parlour equipment list, down to the waffle cone machine and the topping tray. Only a market road, a mall or a college area will fill 400 sq ft on a weekday evening.
Amul applies no royalty and no profit sharing on any format. You earn retailer margin instead. That single term moves the economics more than any deposit does.
Giani’s Ice Cream Franchise Cost
Giani’s is the only brand in this set that names a franchise fee on its own website.
| What Giani’s states | Figure |
|---|---|
| Franchise fee | ₹5 to 6 lakh |
| Total investment | ₹15 to 25 lakh |
| Area required | 100 to 400 sq ft |
| Gross margin | About 50% |
| Average return on investment | 24 months |
| Format | Kiosk or store |
The brand dates itself to 1956 in Delhi and claims more than 400 stores with over 200 franchise partners. Note what is missing: no security deposit, no royalty percentage, no agreement term. Those are the three to ask about first.
A 50% gross margin reads well next to a dealership. It is also gross, so rent, staff and power come out of it before anything reaches you.
Naturals Ice Cream Franchise Cost
Naturals takes the opposite approach to Giani’s. Rather than name a fee, its franchise page states that no deposits or franchise fees are currently required, and that the brand plans to introduce them later.
Everything else comes only after shortlisting. Anything you read elsewhere about a Naturals franchise fee therefore describes a charge the brand says it does not currently levy.
If you are considering Naturals, the timing matters more than the figure. Terms described as temporary can change between your enquiry and your signature, so get the current position in writing on the day you sign.
Havmor Ice Cream Franchise Cost
Havmor publishes no cost at all. What makes its page unusual is that the application form inverts the question and asks for your proposed investment, from a dropdown running past ₹40 lakh.
The brand learns your budget before you learn its price. Worth knowing before you fill it in, and worth settling on your own number beforehand rather than picking the band that sounds serious.
Vadilal Ice Cream Franchise Cost
Nothing published. Vadilal’s page invites applicants without naming a figure, and describes the network in terms of dealers rather than franchisees.
That wording is the useful part. A dealership normally means you buy stock and sell at retailer margin with no royalty, which is a different arrangement from a classic franchise even when the opening cheque looks similar.
Ibaco Ice Cream Franchise Cost
Ibaco is the most searched cost in this list and publishes the least. There is no franchise page on the Ibaco brand site at all. The enquiry sits on the parent company’s site, Hatsun Agro, as a general business enquiry form covering all of its business lines.
That is why applicants struggle to find it, and why every Ibaco franchise cost figure in circulation traces back to a lead generation site rather than to Hatsun.
Cream Stone Ice Cream Franchise Cost
No figures either, but Cream Stone is unusually clear about who it will sign. It asks for what it calls the three Cs: capital, commitment and competence.
It signs individuals rather than partnerships or companies, the franchisee must run the outlet full time, and that person must live in the city where the outlet is proposed.
Those rules disqualify a lot of applicants before money is ever discussed, which makes them more useful than a cost range would have been.
What Each Ice Cream Franchise Requires
Cost is one half of the decision. The terms below decide what you actually own, and they vary far more between these brands than the money does.
| Ice cream brand | Arrangement offered | Formats offered | Stated eligibility rules | Where to apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amul | Preferred outlet and parlour, no royalty | Parlour, scooping parlour, institutional stall, railway stall | Pre-built shop, owned or rented | amul.com franchise formats |
| Giani’s | Franchise with a fee | Kiosk or store | None published | gianisicecream.com |
| Naturals | Franchise, terms after shortlisting | Not published | None published | naturalicecreams.in |
| Havmor | Not stated | Not published | Form asks your investment band | havmor.com |
| Vadilal | Dealership | Not published | None published | vadilalicecreams.com |
| Ibaco | Not stated | Not published | None published | hap.in, under Hatsun Agro |
| Cream Stone | Franchise | Not published | Individuals only, full time, must live in that city | creamstoneconcepts.com |
The word franchise covers three arrangements in this industry, and the difference decides who takes a cut of your sales.
| Arrangement | What you get | Who takes a cut |
|---|---|---|
| Classic franchise | Brand and format licence, set look and operating rules | Brand takes a royalty on sales |
| Preferred outlet or dealership | Signage and supply, you sell at retailer margin | No royalty, brand earns on supply price |
| Company-owned outlet | Not offered to you | Brand keeps everything |
Check which one you are being offered before comparing costs. A dealership with no royalty and a franchise taking a share of every sale are not comparable on deposit alone.
How to Get a Real Number From Any Brand
Five of these seven quote per applicant, so the method matters more than any published range.
- Go to the brand’s own website, not a franchise portal. Portals sell your contact details as a lead.
- Find the franchise or business enquiry page. For Ibaco that sits under Hatsun Agro rather than the Ibaco site.
- Send your actual location, with area in square feet, the road, and the rent you are being quoted. No brand can price a franchise without it.
- Ask for the terms in writing, covering the seven points further down this page.
- Compare two brands on the same location before deciding. The same shop produces very different offers.
Our franchise cost calculator is useful once you have a real quote to model, rather than as a substitute for one.
What Drives an Ice Cream Franchise Cost
Six things move the number, and only one of them is the brand fee.
- Rent and deposit on the shop. Usually the biggest single line, and entirely local.
- Fit-out. Flooring, counter, signage, seating, electricals. Scales with area and finish.
- Equipment. Deep freezers, display cabinet, softy machine if the format needs one. Most brands specify the make as well as the type.
- Opening stock. Set by the brand, and it ties up cash before you sell anything.
- Security deposit to the brand. Sometimes refundable, sometimes not. Read the clause.
- Working capital. Staff, power and rent for the months before the outlet settles.
Power deserves a mention of its own in this category. Freezers run day and night through an Indian summer, and that bill surprises first-time owners. Our breakdown of hidden ice cream shop costs covers the ones that do not appear in any franchise brochure.
Franchise or Your Own Ice Cream Brand?
This is the decision underneath the cost question, and it is worth taking on its own terms.
| Franchise | Your own brand | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand recognition | Ready on day one | Built from zero |
| Supply chain | Fixed by the brand | Your choice, your negotiation |
| Menu freedom | Limited to the brand’s range | Complete |
| Margin | Set by the supply price | Yours, and higher on made-in-house |
| Risk | Lower on demand, fixed on terms | Higher on demand, flexible on terms |
| Exit | Governed by the agreement | You own the goodwill |
A franchise buys certainty and costs you control. Your own parlour is the reverse. Weighing that second route? Our parlour setup cost breakdown prices it line by line, and the cone margin math shows where the money is made.
One point in favour of the own-brand route deserves saying plainly. A franchise fixes your range, so you cannot chase what sells locally. An independent parlour can lean into whichever of the most profitable flavours moves in its own neighbourhood, and change that every season.
Example (illustrative). Say two owners each put ₹8 lakh into a 300 sq ft space in Aundh. One takes a franchise: the brand sets the fit-out, supplies the stock, and the owner earns retailer margin from month one with a known name over the door. The other builds an own-brand parlour: the same ₹8 lakh buys equipment and fit-out, margins are higher per scoop, and the first six months go on getting people through the door. Neither is the right answer in general. This is an example to show where the money and the risk sit, not a projection.
7 Questions to Ask Before You Sign
Every one of these belongs in the agreement, not in a conversation.
- Is the security deposit refundable, and on what conditions?
- Is the territory exclusive, and how far does it extend? Ask what stops a second outlet opening a kilometre away.
- What is the supply price, and what margin does it leave? In writing, per product.
- Who owns the fit-out if the agreement ends?
- What happens to unsold or expired stock? Ice cream is perishable, and the answer decides who carries that loss.
- Is there a royalty, a marketing levy, or a minimum purchase commitment?
- What are the exit and renewal terms? Including what you can and cannot do afterwards.
A brand that answers all seven in writing is telling you something useful about how it treats franchisees. So is one that will not. Our franchise investor guide covers the same ground for F&B franchises generally.
What Runs the Outlet Once It Opens
The agreement decides your margin. Day-to-day, what protects it is knowing what sold, what melted and what walked.
Ice cream loses money in three places a franchise brochure never mentions:
- Melt and wastage, which stays invisible until someone counts stock against sales
- Freezer failure, where one overnight outage can take a week of margin
- Over-scooping, a few grams a cone that only shows up in a monthly variance
That is why why small parlours fail so often comes back to stock control rather than footfall.
An ice cream shop POS bills by scoop, tracks stock against the recipe, and shows the day’s variance. Brands including Apsara and Winni run on Petpooja, so the reporting a franchisor asks for is already in the system.
Most franchise agreements require sales reporting in some form. Pulling it from the billing system rather than a spreadsheet saves an argument each month. It matters most in summer, when a parlour’s whole year can turn on a few weeks of peak trade.
Why Most Brands Do Not Publish a Number
The absence of a figure is not evasion. A single number would simply be wrong for most readers.
Fit-out cost follows local contractor rates, and deposit and stock terms follow the size of the territory. Put the same 300 sq ft parlour on a main road in Koramangala and in a tier-three town, and almost nothing matches: not the rent, not the fit-out, not the opening stock.
Brands therefore quote after they see your location. That also explains the aggregator ranges. Two sites can quote ₹5 lakh and ₹30 lakh for one brand, and neither can show its working.
Conclusion
An ice cream franchise is a reasonable way into the business. Getting the cost right is harder than it should be, because the figures in circulation mostly come from sites with no stake in their accuracy.
Work from what brands publish. Amul and Giani’s both do, and their terms are worth reading in full. Naturals states it charges nothing for now. For the other four, an enquiry form and a written quote for your own location is the only number that means anything.
Then decide the bigger question honestly. A franchise buys a name and a supply chain. Your own parlour buys freedom and a better margin, and asks you to earn the name yourself. Our ice cream business guide walks through that route from the beginning.
Frequently Asked Questions
The agreement covers the brand, not the regulator. You still need FSSAI registration, a municipal trade licence and GST registration in your own name. Our FSSAI licence fees guide sets out which category a parlour falls into.
Usually yes, and brands often prefer it once you have run one well. Ask at the first meeting whether multi-unit rights exist and what triggers them. A second outlet negotiated later rarely comes on the terms you would have got upfront.
Only the territory clause. If the agreement does not define a radius or a catchment in writing, nothing prevents a company-owned outlet or a second franchisee nearby. This is the single clause most worth arguing over.
Most will assess a site you propose rather than find one for you. That assessment is free market research, so it is worth sending two or three options and seeing which the brand backs, and why.
It changes the cash flow rather than the terms. Rent, staff and freezer power run all year while sales concentrate in summer, so the working capital line matters more than in most food formats. The kulfi, gelato and softy comparison covers how far each format smooths that out.
