Mohit Agrawal (standing) From L to R: Naveen Agrawal, Sushil Agrawal and Praveen Agrawal

It would not be wrong to say that everyone who loves the tangy-spicy taste of namkeen is well aware of Udaipur based Agrawal Namkeen, the pioneers of standardizing namkeens in Udaipur.

For those who are not aware of Namkeen, it is an Indian snack, generally spicy, fried and made from wheat or pulses flours with varied spices depending on the flavor and the variety which is diverse from place-to-place.

Like many success stories we shared previously, today we open a book of success from Leaders of Namkeen Industry in Udaipur – Agrawal Namkeen.

Talking about the initial days of business, Mohit Agrawal son of Naveen Agrawal and the second generation holding the business said, “My uncles Sushil Agrawal and Praveen Agrawal, including my Father started this business in mid 70’s”.

“There was no standard of quality and taste of namkeens sold in Udaipur in 1976, it was my uncles and father who introduced khasta (crispy) and to-the-right-taste-flavors of 5 types of namkeens. Today, the bhandar owns patents of 62 types of unique namkeens”, says Mohit.

Sushil Agrawal, the eldest son of Late Inderlal Agrawal transformed the business of namkeen and it was due to their grandmother’s roots in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh as well as the cultural impact of being Agrawals that the family developed taste for good namkeens.

Upon setting up of Agrawal Namkeen, the three brothers, Sushil, Naveen and Praveen sold namkeens by reaching out to the market on their bicycles. Praveen recalled that it took them 8 long years to stabilize and establish the reputation of Agrawal namkeen.

It was due to the standardization of delicious recipes of Agrawals that they erupted high from among the others in Namkeen industry. Praveen Agrawal takes proud in mentioning that the recipe of first 5 namkeens is still the same. Even with mechanization and automation of namkeen production, the recipe is yet intact and so is the taste.

When asked about of the expansion of their business, Praveen Agrawal said that with course of time, we gained confidence of our customers and this feeling boosted us to enter other business verticals. Agrawals started making their own sweets way back in 1990 and stepped into Bakery business in 2008.

Mohit Agrawal said, “Meanwhile, in 2007, due to the technological advancement, considering the health factors, Agrawals put an automated namkeen factory”. Mohit added that the benefits of using a fryer rather than the kadhayi passes on directly to the customer, because of 30% less oil consumed by using automated fryer.

Even the life span of namkeen is increased with mechanized production, as there is lesser man-handling involved; the process is more hygienic, added Naveen Agrawal.

Upon enquiring their current market outreach, Agrawals told, “Udaipur is our single largest market so far, however, we are available in stores at Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Bangalore”. Mohit explained that there are stringent controls over international trade of food items; the Agrawals are in the process of securing all required permissions and licenses for exports too.

Mohit Agrawal, the second generation of Sushil Agrawal takes proud in ‘Kanha ji’ a brand of namkeens, sweets and snacks. He mentioned the reason of introducing the new brand is to trademark and patents the business secrets of Agrawals, which was not possible with the generic community name of ‘Agrawal’ Namkeen.

When questioned about their reason for success, Praveen Agrawal said, “It is through the blessings of our deity, Lord Pashupatinath at Mandsaur, MP that we have attained this success”. He believes Lord Pashupatinath is always with them, assisting them in all their endeavors.

When asked about the changing customer behavior and growing internet market, Mohit Agrawal affirmed the capabilities of Agrawals to update with the emerging trends and their readiness for online marketing and distribution channels.

Lastly, when asked about their message to the people of Udaipur, Naveen, Praveen and Mohit Agrawal together thanked the citizens of Udaipur for acknowledging and accepting the taste of Agrawal Namkeen. They said, “It is due to the love of people of Udaipur that Agrawals have achieved their present stature”.