Keeping it traditionally cool: The CoolfieWala story

A man walks around with a huge pot, its opening wrapped in a red cloth. He calls out, "Kulfimalai, Kulfimalai", without missing a step despite the heavy burden he is laden with.

The scene is not out of the ordinary. He is a Kulfiwala, a fixture in everyday life on the streets of Dhaka city.

Those beaten down by the rays of the scorching sun in sweltering summer days find the Kulfiwala's offerings hard to resist.

Some Kulfiwalas lug around their treats in vans or carts, the vehicles sporting signs announcing the "famous kulfis".

Just as Rasmalai is synonymous with Cumilla and Doi with Bogura, the history of Kulfi is entrenched in Kushtia. The Kushtia Kulfi is renowned, a class apart from its counterparts.

Although many sellers in Dhaka claim to offer authentic Kulfi from Kushtia, most are made in Dhaka. Even with recipes intact, the true essence can often not be captured.

A key reason behind it is the ingredients. The weather, the water and even the milk are different in different places. These combine to create a taste profile which is hard to replicate.

But it isn't impossible. This is where CoolfieWala comes into play.

Bring cool to your doorsteps

CoolfieWala's inception began in 2019.

Its founder, Zubair Arefin Anik, had begun the endeavour without a concrete plan in place to scale-up.

It all started when Zubair and his friend Rasif Shafiq, a famous Youtuber of the Petuk Couple fame, made a video of eating kulfi in Kushtia. The video drew many others, who came to taste the dessert wrapped in coconut leaves.

On the advice of a friend, Zubair Arefin collected kulfi from vendors in Kushtia, packaged those in glass jars and sold the desserts online.

"For the first six months, I used to bottle the kulfi myself without any branding and delivered those to customers. The promotion work was done through my Facebook page and the YouTube channel of the Petuk Couple," Zubair said.

Deluged with orders in his inbox, Zubar realised that there was serious potential in the business. He named his venture CoolfieWala and began to attach the branding to his glass jars.

A Facebook page followed. Apart from the only presence, he now plans to expand operations through appointing distributors targeting local restaurants and shops all over the country.  

Presently, Zubair Arefin collects the kulfi from six families in Kushtia.

Currently, apart from Dhaka, CoolfieWala is also available in Rajshahi, Chattogram, Gazipur and Narayanganj.

The buttery kulfi matches the authentic taste of Kushtia's traditional kulfi. The 200ml and 100ml jars are available at Tk200 and Tk100 respectively.

Designing the delicious

About 200 litres of cow's milk is required daily for making the dessert. The essential ingredients are cow's milk, sugar and cardamom.

The malai is prepared in a clay oven, where the milk is kept for about 10-12 hours in an iron pan on low heat.

Zubair said, "The main ingredient of kulfi is milk, which is very sensitive. If this kulfi is not prepared and stored with maximum hygiene, it will spoil. The artisans are well aware of this. We also have a representative who does the quality control of the kulfis from Kushtia."

The kulfis, once brought to Dhaka, are kept in an air-conditioned warehouse in Banasree. They are brought by bus.

In Dhaka and Chattogram, the malai kulfi is delivered to the customer the day after being ordered online.

Orders can be made from CoolfieWala 's Facebook page and the website ghortheke.com. Besides, it can also be bought from several shops and restaurants.

"The kulfis we eat in Kushtia are made at night and sold in the afternoon. On the other hand, the kulfis brought to Dhaka take several days to reach the customers due to the process of transportation and marketing. Therefore, there is some difference in the taste of these kulfis with the kulfis sold on the streets of Kushtia," Zubair said.

According to him, a better traditional kulfi than the one he is offering is not available outside Kushtia.

"Customers have to be a little patient to get the real taste of CoolfieWala 's kulfi. After delivery, the kulfi is in a liquid state. It will taste like a milkshake when eaten immediately. Therefore, it should be kept in the fridge for at least four to six hours after delivery. When it is 70% ice and 30% liquid, it will taste like Kushtia's famous kulfi."