‘Namkeen’ story of the iconic ‘bhujia’ maker – Haldiram’s
3 min read
After years of hard work, Haldiram’s has now become synonymous with tea-time snacks. Ganga Bhishen Agarwal, fondly called Haldiram by his mother, founded the now Rs. 5,000 crore business empire.
It can be traced back to the 20th century. Haldiram’s kicked off with a small shop in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
Origin of the brand –
The world-famous brand offering lip-smacking snacks originated from the recipe of Ganga Bhishen’s aunt. The thick and soft ‘Bikaneri bhujia’ was reinvented with a different flour, made thinner & crunchier.
Ganga Bhishen cleverly marketed the mildly spicy bhujia by naming it ‘Dungar sev’, after the popular Maharaja of Bikaner – Dungar Singh.
The deep-fried bhujia was an instant hit. After a decade, Haldiram started selling 200kg bhujia per week. Suiting the taste buds of Indian culture, the tangy savory picked up sales and saw a steep price rise from 2 paise to 25 paise per kg. Even though its business owners and leaders (family) have acquired education till middle school, they have showcased strong business acumen and have successfully built a leading business.
The building of the empire –
Haldiram went to attend a wedding in Kolkata where the idea of starting a shop there, struck him. The brand took to expansion by installing its 1st manufacturing plant in Kolkata. The second generation failed to expand the business further. But grandsons – Manoharlal and Shiv Kishan – took the business to Delhi and Nagpur. Haldiram’s’ shop which was set up in Chandni Chowk (Delhi) struck the right chord. People flocked to the sweets and snack manufacturer’s shop. From a humble shop in Bikaner to its own retail chain stores & restaurants, Haldiram’s has made its mark in the food (snack) industry in India. The company was then divided into 3 areas of operation in Delhi, Nagpur, and Kolkata.
With over 400 delightful products, Haldiram’s has included cookies, sherbets, papads, pickles, and western snacks into its domain. In 2003, Haldiram’s started developing convenience foods to be marketed to consumers. 11 years down the line, Haldiram’s ranked 55th among India’s most trusted brands as per the ‘Brand Trust Report’. Haldiram’s revenue mark crossed Rs. 4,000 crores in FY16. It became twice the size of HUL’s packaged food division. It also grew larger than the Indian turnover of Domino’s and McDonald’s put together! In 2017, the company was crowned as the country’s largest snack company, outperforming PepsiCo in sales. It superseded all its domestic and international competitors.
Haldiram’s progress –
Haldiram’s has attracted significant fame for its world-class snack category. Its range of products is now available in more than 80 countries.
It signed its 1st partnership (outside the family) by entering into an exclusive master franchisee partnership with French bakery cafe Brioche Dorée. Haldiram’s is a safe bet for foreign buyers. It is difficult for a foreign food giant to build a desi food brand from scratch. With desi brands tracing their heritage back to 1937, it makes their task easy!
Advertising, marketing, and promotion of Haldiram’s products has been done very professionally. Bakeries and confectionery stores as well as commercial websites advertise Haldiram’s food items. The inexpensive pricing strategy of the desi snack maker company, compared to its rivals, pulls customers towards it. Haldiram’s has been growing with leaps and bounds. In 2019, Haldiram’s was in the news for exploring a potential partnership and stake sale with Michigan-based Kellogg Company.
It will be interesting to see whether Haldiram’s maintains the crunch to remain being the top Indian snack brand in the future.
