Company

History
The Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union Ltd. was registered on December 1, 1946 as a response to the exploitation of marginal milk producers by traders or agents of the only existing dairy, the Polson (brand) dairy, in the small town of Anand (in KairaDistrict of Gujarat).Milk Producers had to travel long distances to deliver milk, which often went sour in summer, to Polson. The prices of buffalo and cow milk were arbitrarily determined. Moreover, the government at that time had given monopoly rights to Polson to collect milk from Anand and supply it to Bombay city. Angered by the unfair and manipulative trade practices, the farmers of Kaira approached Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel under the leadership of local farmer leader Tribhuvandas K. Patel. He advised them to form a cooperative and supply milk directly to the Bombay Milk Scheme instead of Polson (who did the same but gave them low prices). He sent Morarji Desai to organise the farmers. In 1946, the milk farmers of the area went on a strike which led to the setting up of the cooperative to collect and process milk.Milk collection was also decentralized, as most producers were marginal farmers who could deliver atmost 12 litres of milk per day. Cooperatives were formed for each village too. The Cooperative was further developed and managed by Dr.Verghese Kurien along with H.M. Dalaya. Dalaya's innovation of making skim milk powder from buffalo milk for the first time anywhere in the world and a little later, along with Kurien's help, making it on a commercial scale, led to the first modern dairy of the cooperative at Anand, which would successfully compete against established players in the market. The trio's (T. K. Patel, Kurien and Dalaya's) success at the cooperative's dairy soon spread to Anand's neighbourhood in Gujarat, and within a short span, five unions in other districts Mehsana, Banaskantha, Baroda, Sabarkantha and Surat were set up.In order to combine forces and expand the market while saving on advertising and avoid competing against each other, the GCMMF, an apex marketing body of these district cooperatives was set up in 1973. The Kaira Union which had the brand name of Amul with it since 1955 transferred it to GCMMF.

Ice cream
Amul Ice Cream was launched on 10th March, 1996 in Gujarat. The portfolio consisted of impulse products like sticks, cones, cups as well as take home packs and institutional/catering packs. Amul ice cream was launched on the platform of Real Milk. Real Ice Cream given that it is a milk company and the wholesomeness of its products gives it a competitive advantage. In 1997, Amul ice creams entered Mumbai followed by Chennai in 1998 and Kolkata and Delhi in 2002. Nationally it was rolled out across the country in 1999. It has combated competition like Walls, Mother Dairy and achieved the No 1 position in the country. This position was achieved in 2001 and it has continued to remain at the top. Today the market share of Amul ice cream is 38% share against the 9% market share of HLL, thus making it 4 times larger than its closest competitor. Not only has it grown at a phenomenal rate but has added a vast variety of flavours to its ever growing range. Currently it offers a selection of 220 products. Amul has always brought newness in its products and the same applies for ice creams. In January 2007, Amul introduced SUGAR FREE & ProLife Probiotic Wellness Ice Cream, which was a first in India. This range of SUGAR FREE, LOW FAT Diabetic Delight & ProLife Probiotic Wellness Ice Cream is created for the health conscious. Amuls entry into ice creams is regarded as successful due to the large market share it was able to capture within a short period of time due to price differential, quality of products and of course the brand name.