Haldiram's
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn Indian food and restaurant brand built around traditional snacks, sweets, packaged foods, and quick-service dining.
Last updated October 16, 2026
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Overview
Haldiram's is an Indian food brand and restaurant chain whose name is closely associated with bhujia, namkeen, Indian sweets, ready-to-eat meals, and casual dining. The business began in 1937 when Ganga Bhishen Agarwal, also known as Haldiram Ji, established a small sweets and namkeen shop in Bikaner, Rajasthan. Its early identity was rooted in regional Rajasthani food traditions, particularly the spiced gram-flour snack commonly known as Bikaneri bhujia. The company expanded beyond its original retail operation through manufacturing and packaged distribution. A first manufacturing facility was established in Calcutta, now Kolkata, to support growth outside Bikaner. A larger plant was later established in Jaipur in 1970, followed by another manufacturing operation in New Delhi in the early 1990s. This production-led expansion allowed Haldiram's to move from a local sweets shop toward a national packaged-food business while maintaining a portfolio based on Indian recipes and festival foods. Haldiram's product scope has broadened substantially over time. Its range includes traditional namkeens, regional and contemporary sweets, Western-style snacks, cookies, sherbets, pickles, papadams, and prepared foods. It also sells ready-to-eat products under the Minute Khana name. Potato-based snack production became an important part of the portfolio in the 1990s after the company imported specialized machinery from the United States. By the period described in the reference material, the range contained more than 410 products, although the precise current assortment may vary by market and distribution channel. The brand operates through a combination of restaurants, retail outlets, packaged-food distribution, and online and third-party commercial channels. Many restaurants incorporate retail sections, allowing customers to purchase branded snacks and confectionery alongside prepared meals. This combination gives Haldiram's both a consumer-packaged-goods presence and a food-service identity. Its products are distributed through Indian supermarkets, bakeries, confectionery shops, commercial websites, and diaspora-oriented retail networks in overseas markets. In the United States, the brand's initial product range was narrow, focused mainly on potato chips, before expanding its presence among Indian grocery retailers. Haldiram's has also become a recognizable Indian-origin brand outside India, particularly among South Asian consumers seeking familiar regional snacks and sweets. Its positioning combines traditional flavors and cultural familiarity with standardized manufacturing, branded packaging, and broad availability. The brand is generally associated with mass-market, mid-range Indian food rather than luxury confectionery or specialty fine dining. The business developed through several related corporate operations rather than a fully unified structure. In 2022, the packaged-snacks businesses associated with Delhi's Haldiram Snacks and Nagpur's Haldiram Foods International were reported as being planned for demerger and subsequent merger into Haldiram Snacks Food. The reported ownership arrangement gave the Delhi-based Manohar and Madhusudan Agarwal branch 56% and Nagpur-based Shiv Kishan Agarwal 44%. In 2025, Singapore state investor Temasek was reported to have acquired more than 9% of the shares at a valuation of nearly US$10 billion. Financial details are retained only in their reported time context and should not be treated as currently independently verified valuations. Haldiram's remains active in packaged foods and restaurant operations. Its continuing challenge is to scale an identity based on regional Indian food while serving increasingly diverse domestic and international consumers. The brand's long-term differentiation lies in the combination of recognizable Indian snack and sweet recipes, extensive manufacturing, restaurant visibility, and an established distribution network.
History
Haldiram's traces its origins to 1937, when Ganga Bhishen Agarwal, known as Haldiram Ji, opened a sweets and namkeen shop in Bikaner, Rajasthan. The original business was rooted in the snack and confectionery traditions of the region, with Bikaneri bhujia becoming particularly important to the brand's identity. The venture initially operated as a retail food shop rather than as the broad packaged-food and restaurant business associated with Haldiram's today. Expansion required manufacturing capacity beyond the original Bikaner operation. The company established its first manufacturing plant in Calcutta, now Kolkata, and later opened a larger facility in Jaipur in 1970. A further manufacturing plant was established in New Delhi in the early 1990s. These facilities supported the movement of Haldiram's products into additional Indian markets and helped the business standardize production while retaining recipes associated with Indian snacks and sweets. During the 1990s, the company expanded its potato-based food production after importing machinery from the United States designed for that purpose. This development contributed to a wider portfolio that included packaged snack formats in addition to traditional namkeens and confectionery. In 2003, Haldiram's began developing convenience foods for consumers, later associated with ready-to-eat products marketed under the Minute Khana name. The resulting portfolio came to include traditional namkeens, regional and contemporary sweets, Western snacks, cookies, sherbets, pickles, papadams, and prepared foods. The reference material describes an assortment of more than 410 products. Distribution extended through branded and independent retail locations, bakeries, confectionery shops, commercial websites, and overseas Indian grocery channels. Haldiram's also developed restaurants with integrated retail sections, creating a hybrid model in which consumers could buy packaged snacks and sweets while dining on prepared Indian food. The brand's international reach grew through markets with established Indian and South Asian communities. In the United States, the products were initially limited, up to August 2003, to potato chips before becoming available through a wider network of Indian supermarkets. Overseas distribution helped make Haldiram's a recognizable Indian-origin packaged-food brand while its restaurant operations reinforced its visibility in India. The company received external recognition during its expansion. It was ranked 55th among India's most trusted brands in the 2014 Brand Trust Report, and in 2017 it was described as the country's largest snack company. Haldiram's also appeared in Indian popular culture when its thali was featured as a favorite snack of the central character in the 2015 Hindi film Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. More than 1.5 crore snack packets were reportedly printed with the film's logo in connection with that promotion. Corporate organization became a significant issue as different family-linked Haldiram operations developed in Delhi and Nagpur. In 2022, the packaged-snacks businesses of Delhi-based Haldiram Snacks and Nagpur-based Haldiram Foods International were reported as being planned for demerger and merger into Haldiram Snacks Food. The stated ownership arrangement allocated 56% to the Delhi-based Manohar and Madhusudan Agarwal branches and 44% to Nagpur-based Shiv Kishan Agarwal. In 2025, Temasek was reported to have acquired more than 9% of Haldiram's at a valuation of nearly US$10 billion. Haldiram's therefore continues to combine family-linked Indian food operations, packaged consumer products, restaurant retailing, and international distribution.
- 2025
Reported Temasek investment
[1]Temasek was reported to have acquired more than 9% of Haldiram's at a valuation of nearly US$10 billion.
- 2022
Planned combination of packaged-snacks businesses
[1]The Delhi and Nagpur packaged-snacks businesses were reported as being planned for demerger and combination under Haldiram Snacks Food.
- 2017
Recognized as India's largest snack company
[1]The brand was described in the reference material as India's largest snack company.
- 2014
Trust ranking
[1]Haldiram's was ranked 55th among India's most trusted brands in the Brand Trust Report.
- 2003
Convenience-food development
[1]The company began developing convenience foods for consumer sale, including products later associated with the Minute Khana range.
- 1990
New Delhi manufacturing expansion
[1]A further manufacturing plant was established in New Delhi in the early 1990s.
- 1970
Larger Jaipur manufacturing plant
[1]Haldiram's established a larger manufacturing plant in Jaipur to support expansion beyond its original retail base.
- 1937
Founding in Bikaner
[1]Ganga Bhishen Agarwal founded a sweets and namkeen shop in Bikaner, Rajasthan, establishing the business that became Haldiram's.
Products and positioning
Accessible, traditional Indian snacks and sweets combined with standardized packaged-food manufacturing and casual dining.
Traditional namkeen
Bikaneri Bhujia
A fine, spiced savory snack associated with Bikaner and central to Haldiram's historical identity. It represents the brand's connection to Rajasthani snack traditions and is sold as a packaged retail product.
Packaged savory snack
Aloo Bhujia
A potato-based bhujia-style namkeen sold as a branded packaged snack. It is one of the recognizable products associated with Haldiram's broad Indian snack portfolio.
Confectionery
Indian sweets
Haldiram's offers traditional and contemporary Indian sweets, including products such as gulab jamun, rasgulla, and soan papdi. These products are sold through retail channels and are also available through the brand's food-service operations.
Traditional savory snacks · 1937
Namkeen
The namkeen range covers multiple seasoned, fried, and baked Indian savory snacks. It is one of the brand's foundational categories and supports both domestic distribution and international sales through Indian grocery networks.
Ready-to-eat foods · 2003
Minute Khana
A convenience-food range developed as Haldiram's moved beyond snacks and sweets into prepared foods designed for consumer use at home. The line forms part of the company's ready-to-eat offering.
Western-style packaged snacks
Potato-based snacks
Haldiram's expanded into potato-based packaged foods during the 1990s after importing specialized production machinery from the United States. Potato chips and related products helped broaden the brand beyond traditional Indian namkeen.
Controversies
2006
Conviction of co-owner in attempted-murder case
Prabhu Shankar Agarwal, identified as a co-owner in the reference material, was found guilty of attempting to murder a tea seller in Kolkata. The dispute reportedly followed the tea seller's refusal to move his stall near an Agarwal restaurant.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Prem Ratan Dhan Payo film promotion
India
Haldiram's thali was featured as a favorite snack of the main character in the Hindi romantic family drama Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. More than 1.5 crore Haldiram's snack packets were reportedly printed with the film's logo.
Outcome. The promotion linked the brand to a widely distributed Hindi film and extended its visibility through branded snack packaging.
Brand decisions
2025
Reported Temasek minority investmentM&ABackground
Haldiram's packaged-food scale and international brand recognition attracted interest from institutional investors.
Action taken
Temasek was reported to have acquired more than 9% of Haldiram's.
Aftermath
The reported transaction placed the business at a valuation of nearly US$10 billion, subject to the stated 2025 context.
Reported company valuation. nearly US$10 billion (2025)
2022
Planned merger of packaged-snacks operationsM&ABackground
Family-linked Haldiram operations in Delhi and Nagpur had developed as separate packaged-snacks businesses.
Action taken
The businesses of Haldiram Snacks and Haldiram Foods International were reported as being planned for demerger and subsequent merger into Haldiram Snacks Food.
Aftermath
The reported ownership structure assigned 56% to Manohar and Madhusudan Agarwal and 44% to Shiv Kishan Agarwal.
2003
Moved into convenience foodsProduct launchBackground
The company sought to extend its consumer offering beyond traditional snacks, confectionery, and restaurant food.
Action taken
Haldiram's began developing convenience foods for consumer marketing, including ready-to-eat products associated with Minute Khana.
Aftermath
The move broadened Haldiram's from a snacks-and-sweets specialist into a wider packaged-food business.
1990
Expanded manufacturing into New DelhiStrategyBackground
Growing distribution required production capacity beyond the original Rajasthan base and the earlier Kolkata and Jaipur facilities.
Action taken
Haldiram's established another manufacturing plant in New Delhi in the early 1990s.
Aftermath
The expansion supported wider access to packaged snacks and sweets in northern Indian markets.
Sources2 sources
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