Ashfaq Rahimbaccus: Enchanting journey of Magic Ice Cream 

Ice cream rolls have become something of an internet sensation with travellers sharing their videos of this South Asian delicacy. It did not take long for this speciality to reach Mauritian shores. We have to thank Ashfaq Rahimbaccus for that.

After completing his studies at the Hotel School, 26-year old Ashfaq Rahimbaccus decided he will have it his way and launched his own business. He wanted to do something different and unique. The idea of ice cream rolls came to him through a Japanese friend. “When I was in France for my internship, I discovered the existence of such a delicacy. Upon my return, I thought that this concept would surely please our local customers. With the support of my brother Ashraf and my parents, I decided to give it a try.”

Ashfaq always wanted to be an entrepreneur. He has four years experience in culinary arts and has worked in various hotels in France, England and Mauritius, where he learned how to make ice cream. “The harsh reality which most youth have to face, that is unemployment, pushed me towards entrepreneurship. My surroundings also encouraged me to go forward with my dream. Before the launch of Magic Ice Cream, we also worked intensively for six months on the creation of our product, and we carried out many tests before the launch.” 

A place to be

Being the first to introduce this concept in Mauritius, Magic Ice Cream is all about homemade ice cream rolls. Ashfaq reveals that this concept emerges from South-East Asia and consists of working liquid cream on a refrigerating plate to make rolls of ice. 

“We have been around for a year and two months. We have two sites, one at the Route des Pamplemousses in Plaine-Verte, and another at the rue Emile Duvivier in Beau Bassin, next to the Sacré-Cœur church. We make homemade ice cream based on gourmet products such as chocolate (Kitkat, Rafael, Ferrero, Kinder) but also many other varieties. We also work on fusion concepts hot and cold cooking, such as waffles accompanied with ice cream or even pancakes. We also offer many milkshakes from our Magic Ice Cream menu card; customers can convert all our ice cream into milkshakes if they wish.” 

Ashfaq is not targeting a particular market but doing his best to please all types of customers. For example, they have even introduced sugar-light ice-creams for diabetic patients. He is trying to satisfy the needs of all his clients by constantly innovating. “Our goal is really not to keep on increasing our turnover. If we focus only on numbers, the quality of the product will suffer, and for us, it is something unimaginable. We also want to ensure that our customers are happy and have a good time. This is really what is important to us.” 

Fierce competition 

When you do something innovative, people tend to copy your idea and often, they even use your trade name. “Unfortunately, I have to face fierce competition. Very often, new entrants use my company’s name to make clients believe they are associated with me. This is dishonest,” he confides. 

Following this second shop in Beau Bassin, a third one could see daylight in the near future. “We are also working on different projects, like for weddings or other big events or be present on university campuses.”