From Rs 300 Oven to Rs 7,890 Crore Company: How Rajni Bector Built a Bakery Empire Supplying McDonald’s, KFC

 

What began with a Rs 300 oven in a Ludhiana home has grown into a listed food company with a market capitalisation of around Rs 7,890 crore.

Rajni Bector, who started making ice cream, cakes, cookies and buns at home in the 1970s, is today behind Mrs Bectors Food Specialities, the company that operates the Cremica and English Oven brands and supplies bakery products to major quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains.

The company's journey began after Bector developed an interest in baking following her marriage and the birth of her children. She enrolled in a baking course at Punjab Agricultural University and started preparing ice creams, cakes and cookies for friends and acquaintances.

Encouraged by the response, she bought an oven for Rs 300 and began producing baked goods at home. She also made ice cream in her backyard.

Her first attempt at selling ice cream, however, was not profitable. Bector sold products at local fairs but priced them below their production cost.

Her husband, Dharamvir Bector, encouraged her to approach the venture commercially and provided Rs 20,000 in 1978 to establish an ice-cream manufacturing unit.

From Home Bakery to Manufacturing Business

The business gradually expanded beyond ice cream. In 1985, Bector established a bread manufacturing unit in Punjab, initially producing around 5,000 loaves a day. The plant's capacity eventually increased to approximately 50,000 loaves daily.

The business operated under the Cremica name and subsequently expanded into biscuits, bakery products and institutional supplies.

A major turning point came when McDonald's entered India in the 1990s. Cremica was selected to supply burger buns and liquid condiments to the fast-food chain and began supplying buns to McDonald's by 1996.

The company later entered a joint venture with Quaker Oats through Quaker Cremica Foods, producing products such as ketchup, mayonnaise and milkshake syrups.

Supplying McDonald's, KFC and Burger King

Mrs Bectors Food Specialities eventually expanded its institutional business and began supplying buns and other bakery products to major QSR chains, including McDonald's, KFC and Burger King.

Alongside institutional sales, the company built its consumer brands. Cremica became its packaged biscuit brand, while English Oven focused on bread and premium bakery products.

The company has also expanded internationally, with its products now sold in more than 70 countries and reaching international customers and retailers including Walmart and Lulu Group.

Rs 541 Crore IPO

The company was incorporated as Quaker Cremica Foods Private Limited in 1995 and was later renamed Mrs Bectors Food Specialities.

In December 2020, Mrs Bectors Food Specialities launched its initial public offering (IPO), raising around Rs 541 crore. The issue was reportedly subscribed nearly 198 times.

Its market capitalisation reached around Rs 2,500 crore by November 2021. As of August 24, 2026, the company's market capitalisation stood at around Rs 7,890 crore.

The transformation from a home-based baking venture to a listed food company has made Rajni Bector's journey one of India's notable women-led business success stories. What started with a Rs 300 oven eventually developed into a business serving consumers, global QSR chains and international markets.