Bengaluru Startup Liki Foods Reinvents Ice‑Cream with Dairy‑Free Millet Treats
Liki Foods — based in Bengaluru — crafts creamy, dairy-free ice‑creams, shakes, smoothies, and coffees using millets and nuts. Founded by engineer Gautam Raikar, the startup now earns Rs 2 lakh a month and produces up to 50,000 L/month
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Bengaluru engineer‑turned‑entrepreneur Gautam Raikar has launched Liki Foods, a dairy‑free dessert brand that transforms traditional millets into indulgent ice‑creams, smoothies, shakes, and coffee frappes. Since perfecting his recipes in June 2023, the venture has reached Rs 2 lakh in monthly revenue and scales production to 35,000–50,000 L monthly.
The journey began during the COVID‑19 lockdown, when Raikar—already baking millet cookies and rusks—decided to innovate with millet-based ice-cream. From 2021 onwards, over two years of R&D, he experimented with sorghum, foxtail, pearl, and finger millet along with various fruits and chocolate. As he humorously recalls, failed batches ended up being fed to cows — until he finally achieved the desired creamy texture using almond and cashew milk and just 5‑12% sugar, maintaining healthfulness.
The operations moved from a small Malleshwaram outlet to a 2,500-sq-ft manufacturing unit in Yelachenahalli. With FSSAI and trade licenses secured, Liki Foods supplies 12 flavours of ice-cream (100 ml to 4 L), plus shakes, coffee drinks, cookies, and sandwiches. Products are retailed via their outlet, three partner stores, office canteens, and online platforms like Swiggy and Zomato.
Raikar sources millets from local farmer producer organisations, washing, milling, and filtering them to yield nutritious millet milk. He even engineered custom filtration and freezing machines to ensure smooth texture without preservatives or artificial colours — only real fruit pulp, nuts, and natural stabilisers go in.
Demand peaks in summer, pushing production up to 45,000 L/month. Plans are underway for a larger facility and introduction of new flavours like raw mango and jackfruit, along with a millet-based cone.
Employee Roshal notes the mission extends beyond desserts: many team members, previously struggling, now find hope, and personally experience improved health after adopting millets in their diet.
Liki Foods exemplifies how innovation can revive ancient grains, offering guilt-free indulgence and reconnecting consumers with nutritious Indian staples.
