The founder of a bhujia empire and chairman and managing director of Bikaji Foods International Limited, Shiv Ratan Agarwal, passed away in Chennai on Thursday morning.
“Bikaji Foods International deeply mourns the demise of its promoter, chairman, and whole-time director, Shri Shiv Ratan Agarwal,” the company said in a regulatory filing.
While the reasons behind his demise were not specified, the 74-year-old felt uneasiness and was rushed to a hospital, according to reports.
Bikaji said that Agarwal was instrumental in shaping the company’s journey from its origins in Bikaner into a globally recognised packaged food enterprise.
“With over five decades of experience in the ethnic snacks and sweets industry, he built a strong foundation rooted in innovation, quality, and deep consumer understanding.”
Under his leadership, Bikaji became India’s third-largest ethnic snacks company and the second fastest-growing player in the organised snacks market.
Agarwal hailed from the famous Haldiram family of Rajasthan’s Bikaner. He was the grandson of Ganga Bhishen, the founder of Haldiram’s bhujia.
After working in Bikaner and setting up the bhujia business under the brand name of Haldiram, Agarwal set out to build his own bhujia brand in late 1987.
The company was rebranded as Bikaji Foods in 1993 after the founder of Bikaner, Bika Rao.
Now considered a pioneer in the ethnic snacks market, Agarwal was among the first in his family to introduce modern manufacturing and packaging techniques to enhance the flavour and shelf life of namkeens.
Over the years, he built Bikaji into a global brand, which is now a Rs 17,000 crore company.
