Hico

What Hico does

Hico is Pakistan's first ice cream company, established in 1952 and operated under the legal entity Pakistan Fruit Juice Co. (Pvt.) Limited, headquartered in Lahore. The company manufactures 100% pure dairy ice cream from fresh cream and milk, free of vegetable oil and saturated fats, with daily production capacity exceeding 100,000 liters across manufacturing facilities in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Multan. Its portfolio spans 50+ SKUs across multiple formats and sizes: Family Pack (1500ml), Joy Pack (700ml), Party Pack (9400ml), Brick Pack (750ml), premium Indulge tubs (500ml) and bars (80ml), Cones (100ml), Sticks (50-55ml), Cups, and Sandwiches (90ml), along with the Fantasy frozen fruit-treat line.

Hico reaches end consumers through a three-tier distribution model: (1) a wholesale network of 10,000+ retail outlets spanning 60+ Pakistani cities, (2) company-owned Hico Parlour branded factory outlets and ice cream parlors in major cities (Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi/Islamabad), and (3) third-party food delivery via Foodpanda/Pandamart plus an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot (powered by YALO) that handles text-based ordering and customer service. Pricing is unit-based per SKU across all formats, with no publicly disclosed price list. The group employs 500+ staff across its four business units (ice cream, beverage, juice, rice) and operates a 200-acre dairy farm on Bedian Road, providing vertical integration into fresh milk supply. Leadership consists of CEO Ikram Elahi and COO Mohsan Elahi (Harvard MBA, Brown BSc in Computer Science, former McKinsey & Co consultant), with no disclosed external institutional or PE/VC ownership.

Name

Hico

Legal name

Pakistan Fruit Juice Co. (Pvt.) Limited

Website

https://hico.pk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hico is Pakistan's first ice cream company (founded 1952), manufacturing 100% dairy ice cream across 50+ SKUs and distributing through 10,000+ retail outlets and owned Hico Parlours in 60+ cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ice Cream / Frozen Dairy Desserts

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520), Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing (AFAKAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ice Cream & Refrigerated Desserts (CRADACAE)

Keywords

• Dairy ice cream
• Ice cream manufacturing
• Frozen desserts
• Premium ice cream
• Ice cream parlors

Headquarters

HQ city

Lahore

HQ country

Pakistan

HQ region

Asia

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ice Cream Product Sales: Direct sales of dairy ice cream through retail stores, Hico Parlour outlets, and third-party delivery platforms. Multiple product formats including Family Packs, Joy Packs, Party Packs, Indulge premium line, Brick Packs, cones, sticks, cups, and sandwiches.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hico manufactures and sells 100% pure dairy ice cream across multiple formats including Family Packs (1500ml), Joy Packs (700ml), Party Packs (9400ml), Brick Packs (750ml), Cones, Sticks, Cups, Sandwiches, and the premium Indulge line, distributed through 10,000+ retail outlets, company-owned Hico Parlour stores, and third-party delivery platforms across Pakistan. The company also operates an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot for customer orders and support, and produces over 100,000 liters of ice cream per day.

Product overview

Hico is Pakistan's first ice cream company, established in 1952, offering a diverse portfolio of 100% dairy ice cream products across multiple formats. The product line spans Family Pack (1500ml), Joy Pack (700ml), Party Pack (9400ml), and Brick Pack (750ml) for home consumption; Cones (Swirls at 100ml) and Cups for single-serve occasions; Sticks (Creamy Pop at 50ml, Chocbar at 55ml) and Sandwich (Cookie Crave at 90ml) for on-the-go; plus the premium Indulge line (500ml tubs and 80ml bars) and Fantasy frozen treats. The company operates an AI-powered conversational commerce platform via WhatsApp for customer orders and support, with products distributed through foodpanda/Pandamart delivery services across 10,000+ outlets nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hico Parlour: Factory outlet and ice cream parlour chain offering in-store experience with scoops and shakes.

Products and services

• Family Pack Large family-sized ice cream tub (1500ml) in multiple classic flavors, designed for home family consumption and sharing among Pakistani households.
• Joy Pack Medium-sized ice cream tub (700ml) offering popular flavors, positioned as a smaller family pack for smaller households or moderate consumption.
• Party Pack Extra-large party-sized ice cream pack (9400ml) designed for large gatherings, parties, and celebrations across Pakistani households.
• Brick Pack Economy brick-format ice cream (750ml) in traditional Pakistani flavors like Kulfa, Praline, and Tutti Frutti, offering value-priced home consumption.
• Cones (Swirls Cone) Waffle cone ice cream products including the Swirls Cone (100ml) in Cookies & Cream and Chocolate Chip varieties, featuring a chocolaty cone ending.
• Sticks (Creamy Pop, Chocbar, Fantasy) Stick-format ice cream bars and frozen lollies for on-the-go consumption, including the Creamy Pop line (50ml), Chocbar (55ml), and the Fantasy frozen fruit treat line.
• Cups Single-serve cup-format ice cream in Praline, Mango, and Vanilla flavors for individual snacking occasions.
• Sandwich (Cookie Crave) Ice cream sandwich featuring the Cookie Crave variant (90ml) with vanilla ice cream and crunchy cookie chunks folded in, for on-the-go consumption.
• Indulge Premium Ice Cream Line Premium ice cream sub-brand offering gourmet flavors including 500ml tubs (Fudge Brownie, Belgian Chocolate, Hazelnut Delight, Vanilla Bean, and others) and 80ml Indulge Bars, targeted at consumers seeking indulgent, premium-quality ice cream experiences.
• Hico Parlour Factory Outlets and Ice Cream Parlors Company-owned branded ice cream retail experience offering scoops, shakes, and packaged ice cream through factory outlets, ice cream parlors (Scoop & Shake), and kiosks in major Pakistani cities and shopping malls.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pakistan's first ice cream company since 1952
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Foodpanda/PandamartminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProducts available for home delivery through Foodpanda/Pandamart online grocery platform across Pakistan.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Olpers / Engro Foods: Pakistan's largest packaged dairy company, sharing the dairy cold chain and retail distribution infrastructure that Hico depends on. Adjacent as a dairy input supplier / distribution peer rather than a direct ice cream competitor, though Engro's broader portfolio does intersect with frozen dairy categories.

Emerging players

• Marble Slab Creamery: International premium scoop-shop franchise concept. Comparable to Hico Parlour's premium scoop-and-shake experience as a channel format competing for the out-of-home ice cream occasion in Pakistan's urban malls.

Regional players

• Vadilal Industries: India's largest ice cream manufacturer with comparable dairy-based manufacturing, multi-format product range, and branded tub/stick portfolio. Highly comparable as a regional South Asian ice cream peer, although operating in India rather than Pakistan.

Direct peers

• Mitchell's Ice Cream: Established Pakistani ice cream brand with a comparable legacy positioning, dairy-based product range, and nationwide retail presence. Closest peer in terms of local heritage and mass-market family-pack focus.
• Igloo: Pakistan's largest and most direct domestic competitor in mass-market ice cream, offering tubs, cones, sticks, cups, and family packs across a similar nationwide retail footprint. Closest comparable in product format, channel mix, and target consumer.
• Kwality Wall's (Unilever Pakistan): Multinational mass-market ice cream brand owned by Unilever Pakistan, directly competing with Hico in tubs, cones, and sticks. Strong global marketing muscle and trade-spend capacity make it Hico's primary multinational adversary.
• Nestlé Ice Cream Pakistan: Global FMCG giant's ice cream portfolio in Pakistan, directly competing in mass-market and premium segments. Comparable as a multinational branded manufacturer targeting the same Pakistani retail channels and consumer occasions.

Broad incumbents

• Baskin-Robbins Pakistan: Global premium ice cream chain franchised into Pakistan. Directly comparable to Hico's Indulge premium line and Hico Parlour scoop shops in terms of target consumer and premium flavor positioning.
• Häagen-Dazs: Globally recognized super-premium ice cream brand. Comparable to Hico's Indulge line on premium positioning, but with materially higher price points and a more limited Pakistani distribution footprint.
• Dairy Queen Pakistan: Global QSR and soft-serve ice cream franchisor with a Pakistani presence through franchisees. Comparable as a brand competing for the impulse and out-of-home ice cream occasion, but operates via franchised soft-serve rather than packaged retail tubs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/17841403313298443
• Xx.com/hicoicecream
• Facebookfacebook.com/HicoIceCream

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hico