It takes a lot of restraint not to jump up and down and beg: “I want that. That one, too. Oh please can I get some of that as well…” You would know if you visited the gelato factory. Palaniswamy and Kavitha Vanjimuthu of Boomerang have extended the invitation to us and we have driven to Lakshminaickapalayam for a slurp-worthy day!
Vanji and Kavitha have recently returned bearing gifts from the first leg of 2015 Gelato World Tour Asia Pacific. “We made 300 kilos of gelato with 200 kilos of milk and were quizzed by a tough jury before being awarded the title of Master of Gelato,” says Kavitha. Their prize-winning flavour? Caramel and almond crunch.
This is not the first time the husband and wife team has won accolades for their effort. In 2012 they won the National Award for Cookies and Cream in the Kids Category at the annual event organised by Dairy Association of India and DANISCO, and in 2013, their chocolate and vanilla won the best in the standard category. At the 2015 Gelato World Tour they were the only ones from India who were shortlisted.
Vanjimuthu and Kavitha are on a mission. To give people the best gelato experience they possibly can. At the Boomerang factory, milk is locally sourced. The gelatos have NO synthetic flavours and come in wonderfully exotic avatars including popcorn, cotton candy and spirulina.
The couple is on the verge of exciting things. They have tied up with a world-famous Italian company to set up a manufacturing unit. “Everything that goes into the making of a gelato is available in India, be it the fresh fruits, the vanilla…But these are sent abroad to be processed into the fruit pulp and flavouring and so on and then we import them. That is the reason gelato is relatively more expensive than ice cream. But now, I plan to source the raw material here in India, manufacture them right here and export them to countries in the Asia Pacific region,” explains Vanjimuthu.
Besides that, Boomerang will soon have its presence in London.
While Vanjimuthu is involved in the marketing and the administrative side of the business, it is Kavitha who dreams up the flavours and combos for the frozen desserts. She controls the R&D. They both go regularly to the Gelato University in Italy for refresher courses. Now, they plan to teach artisanal gelato-making to those wanting to open their own stores. Their gelato-school will offer short term courses where students will get hands-on training on making the frozen dessert, they say. “It is not just about Boomerang. I would be delighted to see more and more people jumping in to start gelato parlours. There is huge potential in our country that is yet to be tapped,” says Vanjimuthu.
Boomerang plans to go to schools and encourage children to learn about food. We will soon see the old-fashioned handcarts across town taking the Boomerang gelatos to people. They have a birthday club. Customers can register with them and receive goodies on their birthdays. Kavitha assures us that there will be a constant reinvention of flavours and tastes. She tells us gelatos can be made in infinite combinations and flavours. And, right there at the factory, she insists we taste their brand new invention – yoghurt gelato on sticks called Tippos. We slurp our way through Lemon cookies and yoghurt, Dark chocolate, Chocolate and Hazelnut, Strawberry… before we lose count. They are available from today at their Peelamedu outlet. Other new summer flavours include Rosewater honey walnut/Mango cheese cake/ Yoghurt pomegranate/Coconut caramel/Fresh mint and Watermelon.
We want everyone to enjoy the gelato flavours, says Vanjimuthu: “That is why we call ourselves Boomerang. Because we want you returning for more…”
Ice creams and gelatos are not the same…
Gelato is slow churned, incorporates less air and is therefore denser. Ice cream is churned faster and incorporates more air that makes it fluffy
Gelato uses more milk in its preparation than ice cream that uses more fat and cream.
Gelato is served at a warmer temperature than Ice cream
Gelato has a more intense flavour than ice cream because it has less fat that coats the tongue.
Boomerang has seven outlets serving gelatos in Coimbatore besides branches across Salem, Erode, Karur, Trichy and Tirupur.
For details call 099949- 30232
