# Chitale Bandhu

> Chitale Bandhu is a Pune-based packaged-food company that turns Maharashtrian sweets, savouries and ready-to-eat foods into products built for shops, shelves and shipping. Founded in 1950, the family-run business pairs regional recipes with automated production, direct retail, e-commerce, distributors and export channels. Bakarwadi remains its calling card, while newer ranges such as M² and BingeBar push familiar Indian flavours into health-oriented and portable formats.

- **Founded:** 1950
- **Headquarters:** Pune, India
- **Founders:** Raghunathrao (Bhausaheb) Chitale (Founder), Narsinha (Rajabhau) Chitale (Early partner)
- **Team size:** Approximately 800 employees; LinkedIn lists 501-1,000 employees.
- **Products:** Bakarwadi, Indian sweets, Namkeen and savoury snacks, Chitale M², BingeBar
- **Notable:** Established in Pune in 1950 and operated across four generations of the Chitale family., Introduced its signature Maharashtrian bakarwadi in 1976., Became the first company in India to machine-produce bakarwadi in 1996, according to the company.

## Products & services

- **Bakarwadi** — The company's signature spicy-sweet Maharashtrian rolled snack, introduced in 1976 and machine-produced since 1996.
- **Indian sweets** — A broad assortment including kaju katli, pedha, ladoo, burfi, chikki, soan papdi and seasonal or gift combinations.
- **Namkeen and savoury snacks** — Packaged chivda, chakli, farsan, banana chips and other regional savouries sold through retail and online channels.
- **Chitale M²** — The Mindful & Mouthful range of snacks and sweets using ingredients such as millets, nuts and seeds.
- **BingeBar** — Portable snack bars based on familiar Indian namkeen flavours including Bhadang, Mumbai Bhel and Lite Chivda.
- **Private-label and contract manufacturing** — B2B custom food solutions and manufacturing partnerships alongside the consumer brand.
- **Direct retail and e-commerce** — Company and franchise stores, an online shop, international storefronts and a loyalty app connect the brand directly to consumers.

## Achievements

- Established in Pune in 1950 and operated across four generations of the Chitale family.
- Introduced its signature Maharashtrian bakarwadi in 1976.
- Became the first company in India to machine-produce bakarwadi in 1996, according to the company.
- Says roughly 80% of its product output is made in automated environments.
- Expanded to more than 50,000 stores across 10 Indian states and a portfolio of 400+ products, according to its LinkedIn profile.
- Exports to the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia and Gulf markets.
- Ranked India's second-most-trusted packaged sweets brand in the Brand Trust Report 2024, according to the company.
- Operates facilities described by the company as US FDA registered and FSSC 22000 certified.
- Marked its 75th-anniversary period with Sachin Tendulkar as brand ambassador.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — The company is promoting portable BingeBar formats and newly flavoured chikki as examples of turning familiar Indian snacks into modern formats.
- **2026-04** — Chitale Bandhu announced a reported Rs 250 crore, 25-acre sweets-and-savouries plant at Ranje near Pune, financed from internal resources.
- **2026-04** — The company said it planned to enter quick-service restaurants and casual dining while widening exports and aiming for five lakh retail touchpoints over three years.
- **2026-04** — Its official loyalty app listed more than 10,000 Google Play downloads and added rewards, offers and store engagement.
- **2024-10** — A Sachin Tendulkar-led Chivda campaign launched on the company's YouTube channel as part of its push beyond Maharashtra.
- **2024** — The company refreshed its visual identity and named Sachin Tendulkar brand ambassador during its 75th-anniversary period.

## Links

- Website: https://www.chitalebandhu.in/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chitale-bandhu-mithaiwale
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ChitaleBandhu
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chitalebandhumithaiwale6722
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chitale.bandhu/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CBM1950

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/chitale-bandhu
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-15