Bikaner, August 26: Ethnic snacks and sweets giant Bikaji Foods International Limited is all set to venture into the bakery segment, partnering with global bakery expert Thayekunni Khaleel to establish a dedicated bakery division in India.
For this, the Rajasthan-based ethnic snacks maker has set up a subsidiary, Bikaji Bakes Private Limited (BBPL), where it will transfer a 30% equity stake to Mr Khaleel while retaining a 70% majority stake.
With this, Bikaji Foods can now expand beyond its core strengths in traditional Indian bhujia, packaged savories and ethnic sweets into high-margin, rapidly growing bakery products. Mr Khaleel’s global bakery operational standards, recipes and technical expertise wis expected to complement Bikaji’s extensive retail footprint, distribution network and consumer brand equity in India.
“Bakery is a category with significant headroom for growth in India, and we believe the next phase of that growth will be driven by a combination of world-class technical capabilities and a deep understanding of the Indian consumer. Our partnership with Mr. Thayekunni Khaleel brings together his exceptional technical expertise and global bakery experience with Bikaji’s strengths in distribution, sales, retail and consumer understanding.
We see this as a partnership built for the future. By combining these complementary capabilities, we aim to bring global bakery practices and innovation to India while building a strong, scalable and differentiated bakery business through Bikaji Bakes. We are confident that this collaboration will create meaningful opportunities for the business and strengthen our position in the evolving Indian bakery landscape.
The partnership represents a forward-looking step in strengthening BBPL and enabling it to pursue focused growth, while allowing Bikaji Foods to continue concentrating on its core business and creating greater value across its subsidiary portfolio,” Mr. Deepak Agarwal, Chairman and Managing Director, Bikaji Foods International Limited, said in a press release.
