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General Atlantic will buy 7% stake in Balaji Wafers for Rs 2500 crore. With this the valuation of the company has increased to Rs 35 thousand crores. The company’s founder Chandu Virani started this work from a small stall and today the company is doing an annual turnover of Rs 6500 crore.
Gujarat’s famous Balaji Namkeen (Balaji Wafers) is now going to join hands with America’s big investment company General Atlantic. General Atlantic is going to buy 7% stake in Balaji and will pay full Rs 2500 crore for it. With this, the valuation of Balaji has increased to around Rs 35 thousand crores.
Company founder Chandu Virani himself confirmed that the deal is almost finalized, only some documents are being reviewed. He said that the new generation has taken this step so that strategic money comes in and the company gets a bigger scale.
Company’s annual turnover
According to the report of Economic Times, if this deal is done, Balaji will get a new identity. Let us tell you that Balaji Wafers started in 1982 by selling sandwiches and snacks outside a cinema hall in Rajkot. Chandu Virani started work from a small stall and today the company is doing an annual turnover of Rs 6500 crore. Last year the net profit was around Rs 1000 crore. This company is number one in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Here they have 65% share in the organized market. Among salty snacks in the entire country, Haldiram’s is at third place and PepsiCo is at second place.
company strategy
The special thing is that Balaji advertises at very low cost. Companies spend only 4% on advertising while other companies spend 8% to 12%. The money saved from this is used in production, keeping the quality good and the prices low. This is why people buy again and again. Currently there are 4 factories and there are plans to build 2 more so that the company can make its mark in the entire country.
Many companies wanted to buy stake in Balaji
Even before this, many big companies wanted to buy stake in Balaji. General Mills, PepsiCo, ITC, all were in line. But the matter did not work out due to asking for higher valuation. Kedarra was ahead till the end but when General Atlantic offered 7-10% more, the deal was sealed. Chandu Virani clearly said that he will not sell any more shares but is thinking of launching an IPO.
In March, Haldiram had sold 10% stake at a valuation of ten billion dollars. Small companies are competing with big brands through low prices, fast innovation and quick commerce. Nielsen IQ’s June 2025 report also says the same. Companies like Balaji are proving how big an empire can be built with desi taste and smart business. Due to the hard work of Chandu Virani, the village stall has become a company worth Rs 35 thousand crores. If the money from General Atlantic comes, the national expansion will be faster.
