Britannia Industries Limited is an Indian multinational food products company headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. One of the oldest existing companies in India, Britannia is best known for its biscuit brands and also produces dairy products, bread, cakes, rusk and a range of other bakery items. The company is a part of the Wadia Group and its products are sold in India and exported to several countries.
| Name | Britannia Industries Limited |
|---|---|
| Type | Public company |
| Industry | Food processing (bakery and dairy) |
| Founded | 1892, Kolkata (then Calcutta) |
| Headquarters | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Parent | Wadia Group |
| Listings | BSE, NSE |
| Country | India |
Britannia traces its origins to a small biscuit-making operation set up in Calcutta in 1892. In its early decades the business was associated with British biscuit makers and supplied biscuits in eastern India. During the Second World War the company supplied biscuits in large quantities to soldiers, which expanded its production capacity and reach. After Indian independence the company continued to grow as one of the country's leading biscuit manufacturers.
In the later decades of the twentieth century, ownership of the company changed several times. Foreign holdings in Britannia eventually came to be associated with Groupe Danone of France and the Wadia Group of India through a joint stake; the Wadias subsequently became the principal Indian promoters of the company.
Britannia manufactures a wide portfolio of packaged food items. Its bakery range includes biscuits, cookies, cream biscuits, crackers, rusk, bread and cakes. Its dairy portfolio includes cheese, butter, ghee, flavoured milk and dairy whitener. The company operates manufacturing units across several Indian states and also runs facilities outside India through subsidiaries and joint ventures.
Britannia Industries is a publicly listed company on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India. It is the flagship food business of the Wadia Group, an Indian conglomerate with interests in textiles, aviation services, chemicals and real estate. The company has subsidiaries handling international operations and dairy business lines.
Britannia is one of the most widely recognised consumer brands in India and one of the largest biscuit manufacturers in the country. Its long history, extending from the colonial period to the present, makes it among the oldest continuously operating food companies in India. Brands such as Marie Gold, Good Day and Tiger have become household names and are often cited in studies of Indian fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) markets.