How Halder Venture Built A 100-Yr Legacy From A Small Bengal Mill

With a legacy of 100 years, this homegrown transnational company from Bengal is going stronger by the day, rolling out new products, new brands and exploring new geographies. Halder Venture Limited, a Bengal-headquartered, century-old leading player in the Indian parboiled rice and edible oil manufacturing sector, has now successfully completed the merger with its own five subsidiary companies, creating a stronger and unified entity. The merger includes the integration of JDM Commercial Private Limited, PK Agri Link Private Limited, PK Cereals Private Limited, Reliable Advertising Private Limited, and Shri Jatadhari Rice Mill Private Limited into Halder Venture Limited, marking a significant step in the company’s growth strategy.

Speaking to Bizz Buzz, Keshab Kumar Halder, CEO & MD, Halder Venture Ltd and the fourth-generation scion of the family, narrates the fascinating journey of Halder Venture over the last 100 years and the future roadmap—foraying into new categories, introducing newer products and brands, venturing into new geographies, introducing sustainability practices and so on

100 years is a long time in the life and journey of any organisation. How did it happen? What would you attribute this successful long journey to?

It all started with Brindaban Chandra Halder, a visionary in the truest sense of the term, floating his company in 1924 at Rampurhat (Birbhum) with the primary mission of marketing and manufacturing of high quality agro products. Subsequently, his successors- Madan Mohan Halder, Prahbat Kumar Halder and now Keshab Kumar Halder strategically expanded the family business- first turned it into a private limited company and eventually into a public limited company and more importantly turned it into a key global player in the field.

When did your entrepreneurial journey begin?

My direct association and participation in the family business started as early as I can remember. I distinctly remember I started going to our family shop on a regular basis ever since I was in class-III, learning nuances of business. Both my parents, particularly my mother, was extremely encouraging. I was allowed to go to our shops and mills, when I was supposed to be in school. Somehow, I had some instincts and I used to come up with some suggestions and opinions even on some critical business issues. And I was fortunate enough that elders in my family used to value my suggestions and opinions. There were umpteen instances where my suggestions and opinions on critical issues paid off. The introduction of puffed rice from ‘Muri’ was just a case in point.

The good thing in our family was that we used to debate, deliberate and discuss about everything amongst us during lunch and dinner and then used to take a call. I always used to get hugely inspired by the Tatas, Birlas and other successful businessmen. I have all along been giving more weightage, values to my detractors and critics than others. We have taken right steps at the right time. We have learnt everything the hard way. We were not only bequeathed with a rich legacy but we have been lucky with a passionate and dedicated team in each department and vertical. We have our own R&D team and an advisory team who are burning midnight oils so that we come up with the right product, we are at the right place at the right time.

We are readying ourselves to foray into organic food products, other products in the agro sector. We are also working on to turn ourselves into a zero-wastage company and contribute significantly in the circular economy. We would like to be a socially responsible as always mindful of environment, wastage and larger social impact.

We are happy that our next generation has taken more interest in what we do and they subscribe to our mission, vision and values. We have reasons to believe that our next generation will carry forward our legacy of 100 years and make it a global leader in the field and an organisation of trust.

What are the year-wise key milestones in your 100-year long journey?

From its strategic acquisition of Shri Jatadhari Rice Mill Private Limited in 1995 to the establishment of PK Agri Link Private Limited in 2008 marked the company significantly expanding its production capacity and entry into the oil refinery sector, the company has consistently expanded its footprint. By 2011, Halder Group had expanded further with the launch of a solvent extraction plant, adding rice bran processing to its growing portfolio and strengthening its position in the agri-business sector. A major milestone in the company's growth came in 2016 with the public listing of Halder Venture Limited on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), a landmark event that signaled its financial maturity and commitment to expansion. As its subsidiary companies are merging under a single entity of Halder Venture Limited, it is now focused on product portfolio expansion and a commitment to offering high-quality, health-focused options to consumers.

Broadly, I would single out these years and these moves or steps in this journey as key milestones:

♦ 1924: The journey began with the commissioning of the B C Halder Rice and Oil Mills

♦ 1995: A change in reins, leading to a revamped rice milling business to match our evolving vision.

♦ 2011: An ambitious venture into the rice bran oil business with a solvent extraction plant

♦ 2013: Expanding footprints beyond national borders with global export of rice

♦ 2016: A historical public listing of Halder Venture Limited in the Bombay Stock Exchange

♦ 2018: A high impact launch of Odaana Rice Bran oil and Mustard Oil in West Bengal and North East India.

♦ 2023: A timely venture into Soyabean and Sunflower Oil processing to fortify presence in the edible oil market.

So, what is your current product portfolio?

Our current product portfolio in the rice segment consists of:

♦ Super Fine (6.1): Semi-long grain Indian parboiled rice from eastern India. This is characterised by semi-long grain size that becomes free-flowing and fluffy once cooked and is suitable for daily consumption.

♦ Unique (5.5): Short-grain Indian parboiled rice from the middle-eastern part of India. On cooking, it takes on a fluffy texture and sweetish flavour, filling your heart with joy with every mouthful.

♦ White Unique (White Rice): The common yet exceptional choice. Loaded with nature’s nutrients and iron, it’s your daily dose of affordable goodness. Enjoy its gluten-free, easy-to-digest grains.

♦ Perfumed Vietnamese Rice: Introducing this semi-long grain rice—tender, slightly sweet, fragrant and delicious. Packed with the goodness of immune-boosting nutrients and keeps your digestion happy.

♦ Jasmine Rice: This is one of the most popular premium quality semi-long grain white rice from the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, known for its mild aroma and sweet flavour when cooked, with a sweet taste.

♦ Sushi Rice: Indulge in this short grain rice: fragrant and naturally delightful. Transforming into a translucent, sticky masterpiece, it holds a unique taste. A staple, a side, a sensation. It controls diabetes, nurtures your heart and bones.

♦ Royal Aroma: Premium quality Indian white rice from West Bengal. It has short grains, and is aromatic and sticky with a sweet buttery flavour, perfect for cooking on special occasions.

♦ Golden Delight: Premium quality, super-fine long grain Indian parboiled rice, originates from West Bengal. With its extraordinarily large grain and calming aroma, this is the highest grade non-basmati parboiled rice available, matching it the ideal choice for your celebratory meals.

♦ Fiesta: One of the most popular premium category parboiled rice, from the eastern region of India. Long grain rice with a powerhouse of energy and sweet taste that you can save for the special days.

♦ Puffed Rice: We excel in making parboiled rice, the key ingredient in the eastern Indian snack, Muri. This puffed rice, popular in breakfast cereals and street food, is crafted through a unique process of using high-pressure steam on rice kernels, offering a delightful culinary experience.

What is your portfolio in oil segment?

Soybean oil. Mustard oil, rice bran oil, sunflower oil, palmolein oil, DORB (de-oiled rice bran) and cooking oil.

What are the brands under which you sell these products from your stable?

In the rice segment, we have brands like Diva, Bhojmoti, BHOJ, Uma, Hira, Tumi. And in the oil segment, we have brands like Odaana and Omaana.

You are a global player now. In how many countries do you have your offices and operations at this point in time?

Besides India, we have our operations and offices in Bangladesh, Russia, Cameroon. Ghana, Benin, Togo, Singapore. There are several other countries where we export our products to. We are always exploring opportunities to grow in newer geographies, newer territories.

What are your current capacities in the two sectors, you operate in - rice and oil?

We have as many as four rice production units and our rice production capacity per day stands at 400 MT. From 2020 to 2022 we exported 3 lakh tonne of rice to different countries.

Our solvent extraction capacity per day stands at 350 MT, chemical refining capacity is 100 MT and our monthly average of palmolein and crude soybean oil import currently stands at 5000 MT.