Haldiram trumps McDonald’s, Unilever with traditional Indian fare

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 Rs 4,000 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 Rs 5000 crore, is the second 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.

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 branches, 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.