From Doing Biz Carrying Buckets Full of Bhujia, Rasgullas To Building Rs 1300 Crore Turnover Company –Here’s The Story Of Lala Kedarnath Agarwal

Know how Lala Kedarnath Agarwal became a veteran in the Indian snack food industry by starting from a very humble shop.

Lala Kedarnath Agarwal, the 86-year-old founder of the well-known sweets and namkeen brand Bikanervala, passed away on November 13. Agarwal, the Chairman of Bikanervala, used to sell bhujia and rashullas in baskets in Old Delhi during the start of his business. With a revenue of Rs 1300 crore, the brand currently has stores both in India and abroad. According to Bikanerwala's statement, the passing of Agarwal, also referred to as "Kakaji," is the end of a period that has enhanced taste and been a part of the lives of many.

Delhi was the starting point of Kedarnath Aggarwal's business journey. His family, originally from Bikaner, had a sweets shop on the city's streets since 1905. The sweet shop was called Bikaner Namkeen Bhandar, from where they used to sell authentic sweets and namkeen.

With high aspirations, Agarwal and his brother Satyanarayan Agarwal travelled to Delhi in the early 1950s. In the beginning, they encountered numerous difficulties in their business journey. Initially, the two brothers would go about Old Delhi with buckets full of bhujia and rasgullas, which they would sell. To make ends meet, the brothers continued working day and night. However, the hard work of the Agarwal brothers and the unique flavor of Bikaner soon gained recognition and approval among the people.  

Following years of persistent hardwork, the Agarwal brothers opened a sweet shop in Delhi's Chandni Chowk. They used their family recipe in the shop, and it soon became popular with the customers. For the moong dal halwa, Bikaneri bhujia, and kaju katli, among other sweets and namkeen, Bikaner Namkeen Bhandar quickly gained popularity. The shop soon became popular as Bikanervala and people used to throng it for sweets and namkeen.

Currently, Bikanervala operates over 60 shops in India and has a presence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), America, New Zealand, Singapore, Nepal, and other countries. The business has a turnover of Rs 1300 crore.