Some people start with nothing and end up very successful. The Bikanervala family is one such example. They began from scratch and built a successful business.
Bikanervala, a well-known brand, started as a small shop in Bikaner. Now, it’s one of the top snack companies in the country. This success story is truly inspiring. It shows that hard work can turn a small start into a big success.
Who started Bikanervala?
Bikanervala is a well-known company for sweets and snacks. It has a long history that goes back to before India’s independence. After the partition, businesses faced new challenges in India. Bikanervala started in 1905 by Shri Lal Chand Agarwal. It was a small sweet shop called Bikaner Namkeen Bhandar in Kote Gate, Bikaner, Rajasthan.
Now, Bikanervala is an Indian restaurant chain based in Delhi. It specializes in Indian sweets and snacks. The Bikanervala website says it started as a small sweet shop, Bikaner Namkeen Bhandar, in Bikaner in 1905. The shop sold a few sweets and namkeen that Bikaneris liked. The shop did well and grew.
Their stores and recipes became popular. After building a name in Bikaner, two brothers from the family started a new chapter in Bikaner Namkeen Bhandar’s history in 1950.
The brothers opened a store called Bikaner Bhujia Bhandar in Paranthe Wali Gali in Delhi. They used family traditions to create a unique food experience.
Their Moong Dal Halwa, Bikaneri Bhujia, and Kaju Katli became popular in Delhi. People started calling the brothers and their shop Bikanervala. That’s how the name Bikanervala came about.
The shop became more popular over time because of its name. They had to open more stores to meet demand. Bikanervala grew from a sweet shop to a place where people could get hot vegetarian meals.
In the 1960s, Bikanervala added more traditional sweets and namkeens to their menu. They also opened more shops in Delhi, including in Karol Bagh.
Shyam Sundar Aggarwal, now the Managing Director of Bikanervala Foods Pvt Ltd, joined the business in 1968. He was just 16 and had finished high school. He learned how to make sweets from his father. In the 1980s, when Pizza became popular in India, Aggarwal saw an opportunity to expand Bikanervala’s offerings. So, they opened more outlets across the country.
Bikanervala’s success
Bikanervala found success in the sweets and restaurant business. Globalization made it easier to enter international markets. The family business decided to offer traditional Indian food to Indians living abroad. This decision changed the industry and led to the creation of the Bikano brand.
A significant achievement was their partnership with PepsiCo to sell Indian snacks under the “Leher” brand. They opened a new plant in Faridabad, Haryana for this. Bikanervala’s business skills and consistent performance have helped it reach new heights.
