FROM BHUJIA TO BOURSE!

Launched in 1993 by Shiv Ratan Agarwal, Bikaji Foods International is the largest manufacturer of Bikaneri Bhujia, the second largest manufacturer of handmade papad, third-largest ethnic snacks company in India, and the second fastest growing company in the Indian organized snacks market. The brands claims to be the first traditional snacks company, and was listed on the stock exchange in November 2022. It currently has a market cap of more than Rs 12,500 crore.

- NANDINI BANERJEE

• Bikaji currently has a market cap of more than Rs 12,500 crore

Options Galore

The company operates in six categories, including bhujia, namkeen, packaged sweets, papad, western snacks, and other snacks (frozen, cookies, maida items, etc.), and offers consumers more than 300 products. Additionally, Bikaji has also developed a range of healthy snacks like jowar mix, multigrain mixture, beetroot, okra chips, etc.

Being distributed in different geographies, the company provides various offerings according to the local taste of consumers – such as in the south, it has launched a mixture, Murukku Sticks Mangalore Mix, and in the east, Kolkata Chana Chur and Jhaal Muri, among others.

“One of our key strengths is that around 55 percent of our sales come through family packs (other than Rs 5 and Rs 10), which denotes that the brand is part of family consumption, and is a household item and part of grocery planning of the household,” said Manoj Verma, COO, Bikaji Foods International Limited. Going forward, the company will launch products such as multigrain bhujia, trail mix, nut mix, pulse mix, cocktail mix, roasted almonds, roasted cashews, etc.