According to Ankeet, the brand retains its uniqueness in the market by using high-quality raw materials and reducing manual efforts to increase the quality of its sweets.
In the fifth episode of Decode with UrbanPiper, Mr. Ankeet Dadu, Partner and Head of Strategy for Anand Sweets and Savouries, spoke to us about his journey. While many people have eaten at Anand Sweets and have pleasant recollections of the iconic Bengaluru-based brand, we take a closer look at the man behind the brand in this blog.
Ankeet Dadu earned his bachelor's degree in commerce at Bangalore University and studied chartered accounting at The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
He started his career in PwC as an associate working on transactions in strategic Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and private equity. He even gained a broad understanding of several businesses, such as retail and consumer goods, technology, and manufacturing.
He also spent his time working as a salesman in his family’s sweet shop, where he put his previous knowledge to use and continued his journey by testing and learning.
In the year 2012, he began his career as a head strategist at Anand Sweets and Savouries, where he was responsible for all aspects of business strategy, operations, business development, finance, technology development, and implementation with a goal of making it one of the most popular and well-liked sweet chains in South India.
Anand Dayal Dadu, founder of Anand Sweets and Savouries and father of Ankeet Dadu was born and brought up in Hyderabad. Anand migrated to Bengaluru in 1974 and started the brand ‘Anand Sweets’ in 1988. They did not taste success right away for the first three years, suffered hard and were on the point of closing it up. His determination to work harder towards the goal had led him to the current development of 11 retail stores across the city with 4 restaurants that include Cheeni Kum- a snackery, Purani Dilli – a quick-service restaurant, Nayi Dilli – a fine dining experience, and an airport exclusive brand, Sakkare by Anand. The brand has also launched a specialized wedding service, Royal Union.
According to Ankeet, the brand retains its uniqueness in the market by using high-quality raw materials and reducing manual efforts to increase the quality of their sweets. Anand Sweets has its own quality control team and R&D facilities where staff from all over India specializing in regional delicacies work together so that the recipes essentially remain unchanged and one can get the same taste consistently.
Ankeet further states that they add something new to their menu every six months and that they are constantly innovating and developing new items relevant to people of all ages and from all over the world. Their dedication to creativity and uniqueness is shown in the ever-changing shelves and outstanding selection of 300-plus items, whether it's the famous Badamika biscuits and Cashew Meetaaz or the collection of Arabic specialties, such as Baklava and Turkish delight.
As a result of the epidemic, there has been a surge in deliveries. According to Ankeet, the brand had considered having its own delivery fleet at one point but realised that there are a lot of processes involved and that managing them alone was a great challenge and would need a significant expenditure. He believes that aggregators play a huge role as they help them manage the last mile delivery efficiently allowing the brand to focus on the product's packaging and quality.Ankeet also mentions that Anand Sweets was one of the few brands that Swiggy had initially partnered with to validate the proof of concept when it first launched in the market.
Ankeet points out that gifting has intensified with each occasion, and people prefer to try new things other than their everyday sweets, which has led to constant innovations. Ankit mentions that the brand has been divided into three categories: personal consumption, gifting, and corporate gifting, and strongly believes that there will be a lot of scope for the gifting and packaging sector in the future.
Ankeet has a sweet tooth for Mysore Pak and is a foodie who frequently orders food home. His favorite restaurant apart from his own brands is Kabab Korner, where he hangs out frequently. He enjoys traveling to Europe, which is one of his favorite destinations. Finally, when given a choice between an MBA and work experience, he believes that work experience might provide one with more skills that they can apply in their respective fields.
Watch the entire episode of Decode with UrbanPiper featuring Ankeet Dadu on our YouTube channel now!
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