When Wimbledon Went Desi

Although it seems like a unique collaboration between Wimbledon x Kuremal Kulfi (a 120-year-old kulfi shop in Delhi), this partnership between Kuremal and Wimbledon demonstrates how cultural traditions can cross boundaries and be preserved while remaining authentic heritage food by providing people the opportunity to experience both cultures through food.

A collaboration that sounds unlikely but works

Some brand partnerships seem so straightforward that they do not make the news. Others are so unexpected that they cause you to pause and re-read the headline. Wimbledon Kuremal Collaboration (a manufacturer of kulfi for over 120 years in Old Delhi) would fall into the latter.

The AELTC is the home of the world’s oldest tennis tournament and is partnering with Kuremal Kulfi to provide a limited edition kulfi, specifically a “strawberries and cream” flavour. On the surface this looks like a strange marketing concept; however, these two brands share a common heritage and a real appreciation for tradition, ritual and memories.

Wimbledon has always been and continues to be tied up with strawberries and cream. Kuremal Kulfi, on the other hand, has been crafting kulfi in the bylanes of Old Delhi for so many years. When you combine these two brands, we get more than just a food product; it’s basically a cross-cultural experience that feels oddly logical.

Why strawberries and cream matter so much to Wimbledon

To get why this togetherness is so significant, it’s good to pay attention to how intensely a strawberries-and-cream kind of pairing connects with Wimbledon over time. The whole story of this combo goes back to that first real moment this event was hosted at the All England Club in 1877, when British strawberries were just happening to be in season, right beside the tournament.

The importance of this symbol can’t be overstated. While attending the two-week-long Championships, there will be over 1,000,000 strawberries and cream eaten by spectators; the dessert has become as much a part of Wimbledon’s appeal as the grass courts, the white-focused dress code, and the world-renowned atmosphere found on Centre Court.

It’s challenging to reinterpret that type of history and relationship between the two entities, and any effort made to localise that for another marketplace must maintain fidelity to the original while having some level of relevance in relation to its new marketplace. This is precisely what Wimbeldon appears to have accomplished in India.

The Old Delhi brand with a long memory

Wimbledon needed someone who knows about heritage, and Kuremal Kulfi fits the bill perfectly!

Kuremal Kulfi has been on this really fantastic kind of journey since 1906, when Kirorimal (a farmer from Haryana) started selling kulfi from his small cart in New Delhi during the summertime. Later on he basically settled in New Delhi and, with his son Mohanlal, opened a permanent store at Chawri Bazar in 1940. From these humble beginnings, Kuremal Kulfi has gone and become one of Delhi’s most famous brands, making those delicious desserts!

By adopting this approach, Kuremal has been successful in distinguishing itself from the many competitors operating within Old Delhi, making it very easy for customers to recommend the company with confidence whenever they refer to a taste of Old Delhi cuisine. Additionally, Kuremal has established a reputation within its industry that goes far beyond that of traditional customers; it has provided kulfi to Rashtrapati Bhavan, to Bollywood nuptials and to numerous other influential families throughout India.

How the collaboration came together

Vishal Sharma, the director of Kuremal, revealed that Wimbledon’s marketing team reached out to him about three months prior to their launch — and at the time, it seemed too strange to be true: a global tennis tournament partnering with a kulfi shop in Old Delhi seemed quite inconceivable! The idea came up, but there didn’t seem to be much excitement surrounding it.

As they continued to develop the idea together, it started to actually make sense.

Reports say that they considered many other dessert types in addition to kulfi. This was a key factor in their decision. Kulfi has broad recognition among Indian diners while providing the same level of indulgence that British diners associate with strawberries and cream, which creates an interesting crossover between British and Indian cultural foods.

Collaboration with Kulfi is another clever method employed by Wimbledon to connect with their Indian audience via a medium to which they can relate: The English language. As India continues to grow as a significant market for global sporting brands, so does the growth of Wimbledon within India; they’ve established partnerships with various Indian companies over the years to manufacture items, including the well-known green & purple towels from Welspun. Previous collaborations have showcased Indian artistry by creating products inspired by art formed using traditional methods such as handloom and other textile industry processes.

The kulfi project appears to be the next phase of collaboration between these two brands; however, this time it involves something you can eat!

Why the idea feels authentic rather than gimmicky

The best thing about this partnership is that neither company appears to be compromising on their brand identity; Kuremal did not merely adapt a “normal” kulfi to suit this collaboration by simply flavouring some kulfi with strawberries and giving it a new name. Rather, Kuremal continues to use its traditional technique of using slow-cooked rabri (a dairy product) with real fruit pulp as the base for its kulfis. That’s important because Kuremal has always been known for being artisanal versus mass-produced. Kuremal is not producing a dessert that has simply been manufactured in a factory but rather is creating a dessert that was made using an artisanal process.

Likewise, Wimbledon has kept its brand personality. Strawberries and cream has historically been right at the centre of Wimbledon’s cuisine, and this collaboration doesn’t replace what was already there. It kind of translates that original tradition, you know, in a local, sort of way.

And then, strawberries are in season in India from November to December, so a strawberry dessert in Delhi isn’t going to clash with the natural season of those berries that arrive in Delhi during the summer months. Instead, it sets up another little sweet indulgence for folks who are craving something cool, a bit vintage, and also slightly unorthodox.

Where and when to try it

Limited-edition Strawberry and Cream Kulfi is available from June 23 to July 12 to release alongside the 2026 championships. Sold at all Kuremal locations: Connaught Place, Bengali Market, Hauz Khas & Chandni Chowk.

At ₹80 per stick, it’s priced as a regular Kuremal product, so it’s not an aspirational branded dessert, which could be one reason for its reported rapid movement. The brand is now making over 1000 sticks per day and receiving steady delivery requests according to Sharma.

The amount of movement proves this collaboration not only creates curiosity but also connects with consumers.

More than a novelty

This collaboration has arisen from a fresh perspective. The story behind the partnership of the two beauty brands illustrates how heritage brands can travel across generations, as the two brands were very different at their inception. Kuremal and Souvenir have successfully found an innovative way to coexist in the modern market.

Integrating the marketing of two heritage brands is challenging for a number of reasons. One challenge is that many heritage brands do not evolve with the times, either because they hold onto their traditional values too tightly or they try to reinvent themselves so much that the uniqueness they once had is taken away. Kuremal and Souvenir have been successful at avoiding the two most common pitfalls of heritage brands; by being true to their respective origins, they both remain true to their roots while being respectable and relevant at the same time.

Partnering two brands is not a simple process, particularly when it is done for a social purpose. However, by combining two strong companies from two different worlds that are rooted in similar values, Kuremal and Souvenir have created a partnership that is meaningful and based upon a common concept: that tradition is not static and, therefore, can continue to be relevant to the consumer in the future.

What this could mean next

Wimbledon has built a number of India-facing partnerships. If that trend continues, this kulifi could go beyond being just a stunt built for marketing purposes and could become part of a wider strategy for connecting with the Indian audience using culture, food, and craftsmanship as means of connection and not just sport.

It also indicates there is plenty of potential for different creative interpretations to evolve. The logistics around this partnership and its success indicate that people are open to heritage brands experimenting with new concepts. The most important thing is that it feels like the experiment has turned into a thoughtful product. In that respect this dessert (strawberries and cream kulfi) is just one small yet telling example, showing how big global institutions can localise products and services without losing their unique identities.

For now we just have to think about Wimbledon in Old Delhi, and we can imagine it unfolding as we eat every single kulfi stick.