Haldiram's is a major potato chips and Indian sweets and snacks manufacturer based out of Delhi and Nagpur. The company has manufacturing plants in a wide variety of locations such as Nagpur, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Rudrapur and Noida. Haldiram's has its own retail chain stores and a range of restaurants in Nagpur, Kolkata, Noida and Delhi. . Haldiram's was founded in 1937 by Shri Ganga Bhishen Agarwal, fondly known as Haldiram in his household; as a retail sweets and namkeen shop in Bikaner, Rajasthan.. In order to drive expansion, the company's first manufacturing plant was started in Calcutta. In 1970, a larger manufacturing plant was established in Jaipur. Another manufacturing plant was established in New Delhi, the capital of India, in the early 1990s. In 2003, the company began the process of developing convenience foods to be marketed to consumers. In 2014, Haldiram's was ranked 55th among India's most trusted brands according to the Brand Trust Report; a study conducted by Trust Research Advisory. The company has grown at a tremendous pace over the years and in 2017 it was crowned as the country’s largest snack company, surpassing all other domestic and international competitors. Its products are available in more than 80 countries.
Products
Haldiram's has over 400 products. Its product range includes traditional namkeens, western snacks, Indian sweets, cookies, sherbets, papads and pickles. The company also produces ready-to-eat food products. In the 1990s, the production of potato-based foods was enabled by the importation of machinery from United States designed for these purposes. Haldiram's products are marketed at various retail locations such as bakeries and confectionery stores, among others, and also on various commercial websites. The pricing of the company's products is typically inexpensive compared to similar products made by other companies. Prior and up to August 2003 in United States market, the company's products were limited to potato chips. The company's products are carried by some Indian supermarkets in U.S. In U.S., Haldiram's products are popular with the Indian diaspora.
Controversy
After being subjected to the allegations of pesticide adulteration, Haldirams’ snacks were refused admittance into USA by the country’s Food and Drug Administration in 2015. Undergoing a comprehensive inspection for the possible excess lead levels, the company was given a clean chit by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration. The official statement by MFDA ascertained, "Samples of Haldirams’ bhujia sev, navratan mix, potato chips, sonpapdi, moong daal, etc., were tested. All were within limits.".
Advertising
Haldiram's is very traditional in terms of advertising and promotions. However, to be in sync with current times, Haldiram's tied up with Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and more than 1.5 crore Haldiram's snack packets were printed with the logo of the film. The chain is actively expanding its franchises.
