Haldiram’s rules the Indian snacks market, beats global names

Nagpur-based Haldiram's, a business venture which started with a small shop in Rajasthan's Bikaner, is now the biggest snacks maker in India, with an annual turnover of Rs4,000 crore.

The Indian snack major is now twice the size of Hindustan Unilever's packaged food division or Nestle Maggi and larger than the India turnover of the two American fast food rivals Domino's and McDonald's put together, The Economic Times reported on Monday.

Haldiram's, said to be worth Rs5000 crore, is the secon- largest Indian food brand after Parle and the leader in traditional snacks market, dominating five of its rivals - Balaji Wafers, Prataap Snacks, Bikanervala, Bikaji Foods and DFM Foods, the report said.

In 2014, Haldiram was ranked 55th among India's most trusted brands according to the Brand Trust Report, a study conducted by Trust Research Advisory.

A member of the company's founding family attributed the growth to strict quality control and new in-house products.

''We also understand Indian palate well and that comes handy while launching new products,'' Kamal Agarwal, 43, was quoted as saying in the report.

The company sells its products through three business units - Haldiram Snacks and Ethnic Foods for the northern region, the Nagpur-based Haldiram Foods International for the western and southern markets, and Haldiram Bhujiawala for the eastern market.

Haldiram's products are marketed at various retail locations such as bakeries and confectionery stores, among others, and also on various commercial websites.

Haldiram's was founded in 1937 by Ganga Bhisen Agrawal as a retail sweets and namkeen shop in Bikaner. Its first plant was started in Calcutta, followed by a larger one in Nagpur in 1970 and in New Delhi in the early '90s. In 2003, the companybegan offering convenience foods.

Today Haldiram's has plats in Nagpur, New Delhi, Kolkata and, Bikaner with its own retail chain stores and a range of restaurants in Nagpur, Kolkata, Patna, and Delhi.  Its products are available in 50 countries through supermarkets like Tesco, Carrefour and Spinney's & Somerfield. Some of the countries where you can expect to see its products are Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, Australia among others.

Haldiram's started catering through Indian Railways on trains like the Paschim Express, which runs between Amritsar and Mumbai.

Haldiram's has over 100 products across categories such as frozen meals, ice cream and kulfi, sweets, cookies, crackers, sherbet, papad, savories, chips and other snacks.  It also produces fruit-flavored beverages and dairy products.