Everyone knows Vadilal, Balaji and Parle-G today. We’ve grown up eating their snacks and confectioneries.

But few know the story of their humble beginnings. Born in small rooms and fields, these businesses scaled into empires but success wasn’t without challenges.

Here’s a look at their stories.

In 1959, people were amused to see seven Gujarati women gathered on a terrace in South Mumbai kneading and sun-drying papads (a deep-fried snack).

What started out as an idea is now a legacy business that boasts over 45,000 women employees and a net worth of over Rs 1,600 crore.

Chandubhai Virani, the founder, had no idea his simple snack would come to find so much love when he came up with it during his job at a local cinema in Rajkot.

Theatregoers were Chandubhai’s first customers. Soon Balaji Wafers grew into a multi-crore national sensation that clocked a turnover of over Rs 500 crore this year.

In 1929, Mohanlal Dayal, a Mumbai-based gentleman, refurbished an old factory in Mumbai’s Vile Parle. He decided he would manufacture confectionery here.

Soon, the factory came to be called Parle after the location.

The factory began baking biscuits here in 1939 to counter the trend of imported snacks. Parle Gluco became a hit.

In a bid to stand out from the competition posed by other glucose biscuit manufacturers, in 1982 the brand repackaged their biscuits as Parle-G.

Brothers Suresh and Prafful Sanghavi used to serve soldiers lemon syrups from their farm during World War II.

The brothers soon began to realise the potential of food processing.

However, their jellies and jams did not generate a good response from the audience. In 1966, however, when the brothers introduced pickles to the menu, sales rocketed!

Maharashtra farmer Bhaskar Ganesh Chitale boarded a train to Bhilawadi in Sangli district in 1939 where he observed an abundance of domesticated animals.

The farmer decided to put the excess milk to use and began making cottage cheese, shrikhand, milk powder, etc. Today, over 40,000 farmers work with the brand.

The brand had humble beginnings in Gujarat in 1907. At the time their ice creams were made using the traditional and popular Kothi method.

Vadilal Gandhi started the brand with sodas but it was his son Ranchod Lal Gandhi who introduced ice creams to the brand.

By the time of India’s independence, the company had opened four outlets across Ahmedabad.