{"id":2598,"date":"2020-07-03T12:05:56","date_gmt":"2020-07-03T12:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/doerlife.com\/?p=2598"},"modified":"2020-07-21T07:54:41","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T07:54:41","slug":"from-selling-door-to-door-moong-dal-to-being-indias-largest-snack-company-now-their-turnover-is-5532-crore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebglory.com\/doerlife.com\/from-selling-door-to-door-moong-dal-to-being-indias-largest-snack-company-now-their-turnover-is-5532-crore\/","title":{"rendered":"Haldiram\u2019s 25 paisa per kilo Bhujia becomes India\u2019s INR 5000 Crore Company"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Birth of the Bhujia<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Haldiram’s story started in a traditional Marwari joint family from Bikaner, Rajasthan. Born in 1904, Ganga Bhishen Agarwal was fondly called \u201cHaldiram” by friends and relatives for his pale, milk-and-turmeric complexion. In the 1920s, Haldiram started to visit his father\u2019s tiny shop at Bhujia Bazar in Bikaner, which sold \u2018bhujia\u2019 a savoury snack made from besan (chikpea flour). When he joined the business, Haldiram introduced two changes and reinvented the traditional local bhujia. Firstly, he added moth (a type of lentil) flour to the snack, (a secret he learned from his aunt) which would enhance the flavour, and secondly, he introduced the finer\u00a0bariksev<\/em> a thinner version of the mothi bhujia sev using a finer mesh. He called this new variation, ‘Dungar sev’ after Dungar Singh, the popular Maharaja of Bikaner which became a fast-selling item. Ganga Bhishen Agarwal, sowed the seeds for Haldiram\u2019s which is today India’s INR 5,000 crore company.<\/p>\n

\"Ganga
Ganga Bhishen Agarwal Image Credits: Express Foodie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Believe \u2013 \u2018Whatever Happens, Happens for the Best\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Haldiram, truly believed \u2018Whatever happens, happens for the Best\u2019. Haldiram and Champa had nine children of which six survived. His family fell upon hardships when they branched out from his joint family. He started to sell on the roadside and from door-to-door \u2018fried moong dal\u2019 a snack prepared by his wife to tide over difficult times. He never thought of selling bhujia again. But his destiny was entwined with bhujia. In 1937, Haldiram set up his first shop in Bikaner selling bhujia and sweets. He was soon selling 200 kilos of bhujia every week for 25 paise per kilogram. One day when Haldiram went to Kolkata to attend a wedding he took with him some bikaneri bhujia. His bhujja was liked by one-and-all which prompted him to set up a branch in Calcutta. In the early 1950\u2019s this was of Bikaner\u2019s first branch outside of Bikaner. Since then, there was no looking back.<\/p>\n

\"Haldirams
Image Credits: Slide Share<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The Flag Bearers<\/strong><\/h5>\n

It was Haldiram\u2019s grandsons Manoharlal and Shiv Kishan who were instrumental in the business expansion to Nagpur and Delhi. While Ganga Bhishen Agarwal, guided them till his death in 1980, both brothers continued to work hard. Never an easy task with competitors like Ghantewala and Bikanerwala at your heels in Delhi. Besides, in 1984, the shop was completed gutted in the Sikh riots. From rebuilding the business brick-by-brick then, to growing into an empire it was a long journey. Today, Haldiram boasts of a product range that includes Namkeen and savour, chips, cookies, tin sweets, panipuri, papads, pickles, and frozen curries, kebabs, burgers, wraps, and more. The company soon had three distinct areas of operations<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Delhi-based Haldiram Snacks and Ethnic Foods for the northern region,<\/li>\n
  2. Nagpur-based Haldiram Foods International for western and southern India, and<\/li>\n
  3. Kolkata-based Haldiram Bhujiawala for the eastern region<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What followed from 1970\u2019s to 1990\u2019s was the setting up of larger manufacturing plants in Calcutta, Jaipur, Delhi, Nagpur, Gurgaon, Rudrapur and Noida to cater to the growing demand. Haldiram also entered the retail chain store business and of restaurants in Nagpur, Kolkata, Noida and Delhi. Haldiram Snacks\u2019 success can also be attributed to its aggressive distribution. With 2.5 million outlets<\/a> across the country, the brand is almost omnipresent, and that\u2019s just on the fast-moving consumer goods side. Haldiram Snacks also has a quick service restaurant chain in about 50 locations, offering typical Indian cuisine with its snacks.<\/p>\n

    Expanding to foreign shores<\/strong><\/p>\n

    In the 1990s, they started began to attend International Food Expos to growing their presence beyond India. The company has found global success with its products being available in more than 80 countries including\u00a0USA, Canada, UAE, Sri Lanka, Germany,\u00a0UK,\u00a0Australia, New Zealand and Japan. They also set up a state-of-the-art factory in London to cater to the demand for Indian sweets all over Europe.<\/p>\n

    In the financial year 2013-2014, a press release on the Haldiram\u2019s website claims, their revenue stood at\u00a0\u20b93,500 crore\u2014more than the combined revenue of Domino\u2019s (\u00a0\u20b91,733 crore) and McDonald\u2019s (\u00a0\u20b91,390 crore) in India. In 2018, the combined sales of Haldiram Delhi and Nagpur touched 5,532 crore (US$780 million). Shiv Kishan, Ganga Bhishen\u2019s far-sighted grandson, turned Haldiram into a food empire that sells a variety of\u00a0namkeens (savoury snacks), sweets, baked goods, fresh, frozen and dairy products in franchisees, food malls and corner shops across over 80 countries.<\/p>\n

    \"Haldirams
    Image Credits: Lindor India<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    Disputes and Controversies<\/strong><\/h5>\n

    In 1991, the Kolkata, West Bengal faction, entered Delhi markets refusing to alter their brand name which led to a court case. After 15 years, in 2013, Delhi\u2019s Haldiram became the sole owner of the trademark \u2018Haldiram Bhujiawala.
    \nHaldiram has also had its fair share of negative publicity due to the allegations of pesticide adulteration. Haldiram\u2019s snacks were refused admittance into USA by the country\u2019s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2015 but after thorough testing and inspections for the possible excess lead levels, the company was given a clean chit by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (MFDA) and resumed its sale worldwide.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Awards and Recognition <\/strong><\/h5>\n