India, May 17 -- An Indian-origin entrepreneur in the US has shared how she built a multi-million-dollar ice cream business inspired by Indian flavours despite having no prior experience in the food industry.

Pooja Bavishi, 42, is the founder and CEO of New York-based ice cream brand Malai, which she founded in 2015. According to CNBC Make It, her company generated $2.8 million in sales in 2025 and turned profitable after years of expansion and experimentation. Today, Malai has four physical stores across New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC, along with wholesale and e-commerce operations. The company is known for using Indian-inspired flavours like cardamom, saffron, rose and nutmeg in its ice creams.

"Malai is so different because...