Startup Originals Team
Most entrepreneurs would slow down after a life-changing exit. Ankit Chona did the opposite. After selling Havmor in 2017 in a landmark deal valued at ₹21,020 crore, Chona chose to start again, this time with an even bigger vision. That decision led to the birth of HOCCO Ice Creams, launched at scale in 2023.
The Exit That Could Have Been the Finish Line
Ankit Chona’s first act was already extraordinary. At just 35, he exited Havmor, a brand he helped build into a national ice-cream powerhouse. The deal remains one of India’s most celebrated FMCG exits and could easily have marked the end of an entrepreneurial journey.
But for Chona, the exit was not an endpoint, it was a reset.
Why Start Again From Scratch
Instead of consulting or investing quietly, Chona returned to the factory floor. His belief was simple: the Indian ice-cream market was still massively under-penetrated, and there was room for a brand that combined scale, quality, and operational discipline from day one.
HOCCO wasn’t built as a “startup experiment.” It was built as a full-scale consumer brand from launch, with manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain depth already in place.
HOCCO’s Rapid Scale-Up
Launched in 2023, HOCCO Ice Creams moved with rare speed:
- Manufacturing capacity scaled from 10,000 litres/day to 2.5 lakh litres/day
- Focused on high-quality ingredients and consistency across SKUs
- Built for mass consumption without compromising margins
This aggressive scale-up signalled Chona’s intent clearly, HOCCO was not chasing slow, incremental growth.
Growth Numbers That Turn Heads
HOCCO’s financial trajectory reflects its ambition:
- FY26 target: ₹500+ crore revenue
- FY27 target: ₹700–800 crore revenue
- ₹1,000 crore milestone: firmly within reach
For a brand launched in 2023, these numbers place HOCCO among the fastest-scaling consumer startups in the country.
What’s Different This Time
Unlike many D2C or FMCG startups that rely heavily on marketing-first strategies, HOCCO is being built on manufacturing strength, cold-chain efficiency, and deep market execution, areas where Chona already has decades of experience.
This second innings is less about discovery and more about precision:
- Knowing where margins are made
- Knowing how scale breaks companies, and how to prevent it
- Knowing that distribution wins markets before advertising does
A Second Act Fueled by Conviction
Ankit Chona’s journey with HOCCO is rare because it defies the typical founder arc. This isn’t a first-time entrepreneur learning by trial and error. It’s a seasoned operator choosing to bet again, fully aware of the risks and the work involved.
After a ₹21,020 crore exit, he’s not chasing comfort. He’s chasing another ₹21,000 crore dream, not to prove he can build once, but to prove he can do it again.
In India’s consumer brand landscape, that makes HOCCO not just a startup story, but a masterclass in starting over, at scale.
