New Delhi: From sweet to salty – you can get everything you want. Haldiram is a well-known name in every household. Haldiram practically sits on the throne in the bhujia market. From Delhi to Dubai – Haldiram’s various dishes are available everywhere. Haldiram has become a 10 billion dollar business. Do you know how a business that started from nothing has skyrocketed and gained a name all over the world?

Behind this is the special contribution of a woman. She is Bhikhi Bai. It is because of her hand that Haldiram has reached this height today.

Haldiram came up from a narrow lane in Bikaner. At that time, the common man did not know anything special about bhujia. It was not even considered a delicious food. Haldiram, whose name means Ganga Bishan Agarwal’s aunt Bhikhi Bai, had a hobby of making bhujia. Bhikhi Bai used to make bhujia for the children in her family. For her, bhujia was not a business but a simple home-cooked meal. She would simply make it at home and feed it to Haldiram and his brothers. The children loved Bhikhi Bai’s spicy food.

Author Pavitra Kumar writes in his book “Bhujia Barons” that Bhikhi Bai’s became so popular with the children that Haldiram’s grandfather Bhikhi and his wife later learned to make it. He writes, “Bhikhi Bai unknowingly lit a spark that changed the fortunes of the Agarwal family. This woman was the real architect of Haldiram’s success. Her unique bhujia sustained the family in difficult times and laid the foundation for today’s snack empire.”

Bhikhi Bai was not directly involved in the business. That is why her name is not mentioned in Haldiram’s success story.

Haldiram’s grandfather Vikharam saw huge potential in the bhujia business between 1908 and 1918 and started selling bhujia in newspaper strips. Haldiram learned to make bhujia from his aunt at the age of 12. Haldiram made a few changes to the recipe using moong dal instead of gram flour and made the chewy bhujia, which became a hit. In 1937, he opened his first store in Bikaner, which has now become a global brand.

Haldiram has now gained global popularity as a savoury and sweet brand. Big investors are keen to buy its shares. Recently, Singapore’s government investment firm Temasek bought a 10 per cent stake in Haldiram for $1 billion. The company’s valuation has now reached $10 billion. Haldiram had an annual revenue of over Rs 12,500 crore in FY2024. The brand holds 13 per cent of India’s $6.2 billion snacks market. Haldiram is present in over 80 countries.