New Delhi, Gurugram: Under the scorching heat, 18-year-old Vishal Jaiswal pushes his fruit cart through the lanes of Arjun Nagar in Old Gurugram. It’s a daily grind, but there’s one thing that lifts his mood: Om Sweets, where even the city’s riches pull up their BMWs and Mercedes.
In the crowded desi snacks industry dominated by Haldiram’s, Bikanervala, and Aggarwal Sweets, Om Sweets is an audacious, nimble disruptor with hustle and ambition. And it has been trying to chip away at the edges of the Rs 1.5 lakh crore market pie—cutting into both the poor and the wealthy end of the consumer segment.
“It’s cheap and the best,” said Vishal. “I go there for pav bhaji and chole bhature. And the air conditioning is quite a luxury for people like me.”
But Om Sweets, started in 1960 by the Kathuria brothers—Om Prakash, Pushpender, and Sunil Dutt—is more than just an option for affordable, comfort food. It is a Partition story where recipes travelled all the way from Pakistan into tiny wicker baskets in Delhi and underwent a name change here.
“Our parents had no significant education or money. All they knew was to make sohan halwa, and they relied on that skill to earn a living here. The decision turned out to be a gift that is paying off to date,” said Sunil, the managing director of Om Sweets.
The culture at Om Sweets is a bit of a class jugaad. It’s at the crossroad where two contrasting worlds of Gurugram collide. The working class bring their rotis and buy a bowl of chole for Rs 25. On the opposite counter, the city’s elite drop Rs 80 for a single biscoff barfi or buy gift hampers priced at Rs 9,000.
Our parents had no significant education or money. All they knew was to make sohan halwa, and they relied on that skill to earn a living here. The decision turned out to be a gift that is paying off to date
India’s organised namkeen and mithai industry is booming, and projected to grow at 10–12 per cent year-on-year, according to Firoz Haider Naqvi, director general of the Federation of Sweets and Namkeen Manufacturers (FSNM). He also said that packaged sweets, in particular, have seen a post-Covid surge.
Giants like Haldiram’s and Bikaji rule the Indian snacking empire, boasting a pan-India reach and turnovers of Rs 15,000 crore and Rs 2,000 crore. In contrast, Om Sweets has a turnover of Rs 600 crore. But this family-run business with 20 outlets in Delhi-NCR is scripting its own success story one outlet at a time. Naqvi, who has tracked the industry closely for a decade, calls Om Sweets “a case study in itself.”
“Their turnover suggests that every location is profitable, something no other brand has achieved,” he said.
Also read: Why the humble halwai must return to our Diwali hamper this season
Om Sweets: King of doda barfi
Every morning, a fresh sample of doda barfi makes its way to the desk of Om Prakash Kathuria. A mere touch is all it takes for him to determine which batch is up to scratch. Once he gives his nod, the doda barfi and other sweets leave for the shelves.
While Om Sweets boasts a menu of over 600 items—from chaat, south Indian meals and Indian snacks to Chinese items, salads, and rice bowls—doda barfi is the crown jewel. Dark brown in colour, the sweet—also called the ‘Indian fudge’—has an addictive nutty flavour.
“It’s our king product,” said Sunil Dutt at his office in Sector 37, Gurugram. The shelves of his conference room-style office, which can accommodate 15 people, are lined with Om Sweets’ packaged products. The soft-spoken 58-year-old, dressed in a simple white shirt and black trousers, takes pride in his doda barfi. “We confidently say, ‘No one in India makes doda barfi the way we do’.”
On any given day, Om Sweets sells around 8,000-10,000 kilograms of doda barfi. The sales reach 50,000 kg during festivals, especially Diwali. The sweet accounts for 20–30 per cent of the brand’s total turnover, Naqvi said.
But the barfi’s story goes beyond sales figures.
“The day [my family] sold halwa was the day we had food on our plates,” said Sunil, recalling the family’s early days in pre-Partition Multan.
In India, the Kathurias were still building a loyal following when tragedy struck. Their father died, casting a shadow over their fledgling venture. Om Prakash was just 25 at the time. He left his studies to open a small sweet shop in one of Gurugram’s oldest mohallas, Arjun Nagar.
The original shop has since expanded, but not in a flashy way. It wears its simplicity with pride.
“People in the locality won’t let us make it fancy,” Sunil said. “This is their neighbourhood adda. They come in chappals and shorts. If we turn it into some posh café, they will feel out of place.”
Om Sweets has held on to its roots. The doda barfi is still made the old-fashioned way—a special wheat sprout called angoori is stored in earthen pots, and then sun-dried and ground to form the grainy, flavourful base.
“It’s the angoori wheat that gives doda its soul,” Sunil said.
Today, Om Sweets offers two varieties: Kaju doda priced at Rs 600 per kg and Akhroat doda at Rs 1,050 per kg. For Gurugram residents like 30-year-old Urmila, who runs a kirana store near the Om Sweets shop in Arjun Nagar, the barfi is more than just dessert. It’s tradition.
“A hundred grams of doda is how we celebrate birthdays and festivals,” she said with a grin. Her kids wait eagerly for a trip to Om Sweets. “It’s the only place we go to eat outside our home,” she said. “We don’t feel out of place.”
Also read: Why soan papdi is the least favourite Diwali sweet for gifting
Om Sweets: Three brothers, one mission
The Kathuria brothers seem straight out of a scene from Hum Saath Saath Hain. They live together, work together, and are part of a 12-member joint family, much like in a Sooraj Barjatya film.
When Sunil was in Class 10, he was given a classic family ultimatum: “If you pass, you study. If not, welcome to the shop.”
“I failed,” he said, laughing—without a shred of regret. Turns out, business was in his blood all along.
Today, the roles are neatly divided across generations. Om Prakash oversees finance, quality control, and procurement. Pushpendra heads production, while Sunil manages operations across 20 outlets.
Then comes the next-gen: Ankit Kathuria (36) is the ‘innovator-in-chief’. He is the brain behind new expansions, packaging, exports, and branding. Meanwhile, Karan Kathuria (31) handles e-commerce, quick commerce, and everything in between.
Despite leading operations, Sunil still turns to his elder brothers for big decisions.
“It’s instinctive,” he said. “It’s my duty to honour his position and role in the family and business.”
Om Sweets may lack Haldiram’s pan-India presence, but it enjoys strong local loyalty, especially in the NCR region. Its stores are often positioned as experiential—clean, air-conditioned spaces where customers can sit and enjoy fresh sweets, almost like a café model for Indian mithai
At Om Sweets, values are more than just talk. They’re literally framed on the wall. Two Hindi signboards spell out the family’s mission and mantra:
“Hume Om Sweets ko aur uchaiyon tak leke jana hai. (We must take Om Sweets to greater heights)” and “Hume aur aage badhna hai. (We have to go even further.)”
These values have trickled down to their staff as well.
“The Kathurias are a rare breed in the F&B world. Their value system is something you won’t find anywhere else,” said Harsh Chopra, deputy general manager at Om Sweets who previously worked at Haldiram’s.
Early in his tenure, Chopra suggested removing the Rs 25 bowl chole—thinking it was undercutting pricier dishes like chole bhature and chana kulcha.
“Customers would bring their own bread and skip the full meals. So I thought if we remove it, customers will have no option but to order full meals,” he said.
But Sunil reminded him that while business is about profit, it’s also about purpose. “That bowl of chole, for many customers, can be the only affordable hot meal, especially on a daily basis.” It’s a learning Chopra carries with him. He has seen the family build the brand while ensuring that nobody is left out.
“Now, our price hikes are modest—barely 5–7 per cent, and only when inflation forces our hands,” he added.
Also read: Bengali Sweet House was one of the first to bring rasgulla to Delhi. SRK, Ambani came too
Om Sweets in a competitive world
The Indian sweets and namkeen industry is fiercely competitive. Giants like Haldriram’s, Bikanervala, and Bikano—each family-run—have built loyal customer bases over decades. A steady stream of new products, advertising campaigns, and expansive distribution networks ensure they remain at the top of their game.
Haldiram’s frequently launches fusion products such as kaju chocolate ladoo, kaju roll, and a wide range of millet snacks and sugar-free sweets, catering to health-conscious urban consumers. Bikanervala, known for its classic offerings, is also evolving with the times, offering contemporary treats like almond pista cookies, besan khatai cookies, and even Baklava.
“Haldiram’s has invested heavily in pan-India campaigns, celebrity endorsements, digital films around festivals, and moment marketing,” said a freelance PR professional who has previously worked with the brand and requested anonymity. Celebrities like Divya Dutta, Varun Dhawan, Jhanvi Kapoor have featured in their campaigns, while Salman Khan was famously seen eating Haldiram’s in the film Prem Ratan Dhan Payo.
While Haldiram’s dominates platforms like Instagram and Facebook through high-quality visuals, reels, and influencer collaborations, Om Sweets is playing catch-up.
“But it has begun experimenting with regional content, behind-the-scenes videos, and seasonal promotions. There is clear intent, if not yet parity,” the Delhi-based PR professional added.
Om Sweets is only now starting to diversify beyond its core offerings of doda barfi, kaju katli, and motichoor laddoo. And it has a long way to go.
The PR professional acknowledged that while Haldiram’s leads with its scale, legacy, and national (even international) footprint—commanding both mindshare and shelf space—Om Sweets is steadily carving out its own identity.
“Om Sweets may lack Haldiram’s pan-India presence, but it enjoys strong local loyalty, especially in the NCR region. Its stores are often positioned as experiential—clean, air-conditioned spaces where customers can sit and enjoy fresh sweets, almost like a café model for Indian mithai,” she explained, calling it a “subtle but powerful branding move.”
Now, the Kathuria brothers are beginning to take baby steps in this direction as well.
Flavour, factory and more
Almost every day, Vipraj Mehta, an engineer at an appliance brand, stops at Om Sweets in Gurugram’s Sector 14 for a quick, hot meal. On this particular day, even as he savoured his pav bhaji, he kept glancing at a small ‘gate’, one that led to a more luxurious world: Wishes by Om, the fancy dessert boutique launched in 2022.
While Om Sweets sticks to simple brown and white tables, Wishes by Om is a riot of pinks and blues, plush seating, mood lighting, and mithais that look like they belong on a runway. Crowd pleasers like doda, chana daal mithai, boondi ke laddoo are absent from the shelves. Instead, there’s biscoff barfi, pistachio pineapple ladoo, saffron badam bonbons, and thandai pearls—each priced at Rs 80 a piece.
“The day before yesterday, my brother had a baby girl, so I treated myself to two pistachio pineapple ladoos,” he said with a grin. It’s luxury for him, but for Gurugram’s wealthy residents, Wishes by Om is the place for customised Father’s Day hampers that can cost up to Rs 9,000 or baby shower hampers worth Rs 7,000.
Wishes by Om was designed primarily keeping Gurugram’s wealthy families in mind. There are only two outlets as of now but expansion is on the cards.
The chocolate boutique is also an example of Kathurias’ understanding of taste and people’s changing preferences.
“Earlier, people ate what was available. Now, there is a section of the audience who want something new, something Instagram-worthy, something experiential—and they’re willing to pay for it,” Sunil said.
But every product—whether at Om Sweets or at Wishes by Om—is prepared at the factory in Sector 37, Gurugram. Oil and sugar—the two pillars of Indian sweets— travel through steel pipelines, flowing directly into massive cooking vessels. Compared to the old-school process of preparing the barfi base, there is nothing old-school in their kitchens.
“We’ve got strict hygiene protocols,” said a woman worker, packing chana barfi in golden foil with the help of a packaging machine. “Washing and sanitising hands are a must every time we enter the rooms where mithais are hand-held.”
In the packaging room, women sit in rows, each wearing head caps and gloves, working efficiently around the packing machines—usually three to four per station. As chana barfi is wrapped in golden foil, one worker carefully places an ‘Om Sweets’ sticker on each piece.
For more delicate items like motichoor laddoos, the process is even more meticulous. These are packed in a separate, air-conditioned unit with stricter hygiene protocols—everyone must wear foot covers. Gloves are skipped here to preserve the fragile texture of the laddoos. With precision, workers gently shape each laddoo, place it on a base, crown it with a single strand of saffron, and carefully pack it into a box.
The next generation is ready
The Kathuria brothers have laid down a golden rule for the next generation: before calling the shots, you’ve got to earn your stripes as an employee.
Two new family members, both card-carrying MBA graduates, have stepped into the fray: Ankit, with a degree from London’s Regent College, and Karan, who graduated from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (Delhi).
“Ankit and I are focused on expanding Om Sweets legacy by blending tradition with innovation,” said Karan, who previously freelanced as a model in Mumbai before joining the family business. He’s biting at the bit to expand Om Sweets to other cities in India. Beyond India, Om Sweets is already making waves in the global markets of Dubai, Doha, and Qatar—through orders received from sweet shops based there.
Karan and Ankit are determined not to be boxed into stereotypes.
“Our goal is to keep the brand fresh, flexible, and in tune with evolving lifestyles and eating habits,” Karan said.
They’re following in the footsteps of their competitors like Haldiram’s by offering healthier alternatives such as diet beetroot munchies and diet cocktail mixture. And they are soon launching retail outlets in Dubai and Canada.
“We are aggressively working on expanding our export business to more and more countries in the coming years, including the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia,” said Karan.
(Edited by Prashant)
This is an advertorial isn’t it? The owners paid for it?
Very long commercial!