The Fruit Custard, a dessert brand in Hyderabad was born on a street cart

No one really says no to a fruit custard, do they? That was the thought that set Chethan Reddy Yelma from Adilabad on a different path. A tech professional running a food cart in Hyderabad, Chethan went on to co-found The Fruit Custard, a cloud kitchen dedicated to the dessert, with his friend and fellow techie, Ganga Sai Surya from Nizamabad.

The Fruit Custard did not start in a boardroom. There was no funding, no franchise model, no shopfront, just a belief in keeping it local, building quickly, and thinking big. As India marks 79 years of independence, the brand reflects a modern kind of freedom: the freedom to build lean, to rewrite the rules, and to imagine something different. “We imagined a brand without a signboard, without rent, without waiters just taste, timing, and tech,” says Chethan.

Classic fruit custard
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

In 2021, instead of taking up an MNC job, he set up a food cart called Mr Matka, selling everything in earthen pots. Among the sandwiches, pizzas, and desserts, the nutty custard stood out. When the franchise model did not work out, Chethan focussed on desserts alone, seeing them as the fastest-moving category.

Managing multiple food categories from a small cart had been chaotic, so the pair set up their first central kitchen in a modest two-bedroom flat in Madhapur in 2022. They cooked every batch themselves, ensuring it matched their standards. To make 70-80 kgs of custard it takes almost 3-4 hours. With their tech background, they built a hub-and-spoke model: orders from dark kitchens synced with the central kitchen in Madhapur, chefs got prep instructions via an app, which is a WhatsApp bot which was developed in house. Their in-house delivery partners receive real-time dispatch details. They even re-designed semi-automated machines to produce custard in larger volumes.

Breakfast smoothie jars
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Currently, the brand offers a range of smoothie bowls, fruit custards, and signature desserts, in addition to seasonal fruit desserts. Some of The Fruit Custard’s best sellers are: the signature fruit custard, Apricot delight, fruit fusion and nutty custard ice cream. The low sugar fruit custard, Apricot delight and fruit fusion is what I liked most.

Today, The Fruit Custard runs seven dark kitchens across Hyderabad, offering smoothie bowls, seasonal fruit desserts, and their signature fruit custard. All jars have a two-day shelf life, with systems in place to remotely monitor hygiene, stock, and expiry dates. They have also introduced a less-sweet option in all the dessert jars keeping desserts egg-free but not sugar-free.