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CocoCart brings Venchi to India
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Saturday, 29 August, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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Premium gourmet retailer CocoCart has brought Italian chocolate and gelato brand Venchi to India, opening the brand’s first boutique at Navi Mumbai International Airport. The launch marks the beginning of its plans to build a nationwide network of branded luxury gelato boutiques in the country.
Founded in 1878, it is known for its Italian chocolates and gelato. The company said the partnership aims to address what it sees as a gap in India’s frozen desserts market, which is estimated at around Rs 25,500 crore. While the artisanal segment is growing at an estimated annual rate of 18.5 percent, authentic Italian gelato remains fragmented across standalone parlours, restaurant dessert menus and hotel patisseries. “We are not competing for share inside the existing Indian ice cream market. We are building a new shelf next to it. There is no scale player in authentic Italian gelato in India. The category exists in fragments, in standalone parlours, restaurant dessert menus and hotel patisseries, but nobody is building a nationwide, branded, luxury gelato house,” said Karan Ahuja, co-founder, CocoCart.
The company is targeting affluent urban consumers, particularly those increasingly focused on product provenance, ingredients and premium food experiences. The company said consumers who already pay attention to sourcing and labelling in categories such as olive oil, wine and dark chocolate are beginning to show similar interest in gelato.
Following the launch at Navi Mumbai International Airport, it plans to open boutiques at Mumbai’s Terminal 2 across domestic and international departures, followed by a phased expansion into other markets. The companies are also co-developing India-exclusive products from the first year of operations. It uses Rainforest Alliance-certified cocoa and operates globally on 100 percent renewable electricity.
“Venchi takes CocoCart from a curator of global brands to an operator of them, in the one premium category where India has no scale incumbent. That is not an expansion. It is a category we now own the path to building,” Ahuja said.
Sara Schiavon, head of key accounts, EMEA, Venchi, said, “CocoCart’s existing experience with the brand in India played an important role in the partnership. Venchi has been crafting Italian chocolate and gelato since 1878, and we look for partners who share that same commitment to craft. CocoCart came to us with proof, having already built genuine demand for Venchi in India over two years. India is a market where we believe authentic Italian chocolate and gelato will find a lasting home.”
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