From Bhujiya To Snacks - Haldiram

The story of Haldiram begins from Bikaner in 1937. The history set in motion from the Hindu united family business. Haldiram has hit the chords from corner shop to a brand worth 1500 crores. It is serving its customers over the past seven decades.

The Founders:

Haldiram started with Gangabhisan Aggrawal, who initiated promoting namkeens (Indian food) in the city of Bikaner. Bhujiya business was emphasized by Gangabhisan’s male parent Tansukhdas but the recognition was gained by Gangabhisan’s small setup. His teenage son Rameshwar Lal opened a shop in Kolkata in West Bengal which was taken forward as Haldiram Bhujiyawala. It was the stepping stone for the company. In 1972 the company got registered and became the backbone for the family.

The Idea: It has fashioned a new history in the Indian snacks industry. To match with the period of fast serving restaurants like Pizza Huts and Mc Donald’s, Haldiram has worked over the proposal of making sitting arrangements for customers and also focused on the marketing to increase the sales. Bikaji was the biggest rival at that time but none of them was able to pull the unique Haldiram taste.

The Team:

Gangabhisan’s other sons Shivkishen and Moolchand opened other branches in Nagpur and Delhi respectively. At that time, it was restricted to Delhi, Kolkata and Nagpur.

The Product:

It was also occupied with many controversies while establishing the restaurant setup. In today’s date there are 100 products registered under the brand. The manufacturing unit of Haldiram is situated in Delhi, Nagpur, Kolkata and Bikaner. It has its own range of restaurants and retail stores for the better user experience. It is expanded to several countries like Japan, UAE, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Sri Lanka etc. Bikanerwala still keep hold of the market share of 25 percent with a total earning of more than 300 crores. Inspite of this Haldiram added an important chapter in history where it has built the empire around the sweets and namkeens with authentic serving and standardized quality.

The Growth:

In 2003 the company came up with the convenience food for the consumers, marketed well and ranked as 55th India’s most trusted brand in food. After selling Bhujiya for more than 60 years Haldiram started with ready to eat food and snacks.

They focused on packaging and presentation in order of developing more satisfied consumers. The annual turnover of the company is Rs 400 crores with brand valuation of Rs 1500 crores which is divided among three parts of the family in Delhi, Kolkata and Nagpur. Haldiram grab the market by reading the market and maintaining the quality of the product.

Aloo Bhujiya the known product of Haldiram builds the brand worth Rs 1000 crores. They export product of Rs 30 crores in many countries. The biggest challenge faced by the Haldiram’s chairman was when the MNCs tried to take over the traditional Indian snacks in 90’s. At that time it turned out to be a one dimensional brand and to turn out to be a big brand they tried their hands in not just Indian snacks but at the Western snacks and beverages too.

Every generation contributed in their way, like the fifth generation came up with some packaged snacks like biscuits and chips. Their success for mantra is keen understanding of the diverse market and maintaining the quality that actually peak and then plateau the brand. They are still the largest selling branded delicacies even after many hiccups.