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Journalism of Courage
Waghulkar Revdiwale is a well-known shop among Pune residents and rural Maharashtrians. Since 1860, it has specialised in selling revdi, godi shev, and rajgira guddani. These sweets are often the first offerings or prasads for deities during festivals, jatras, and urus processions. As a result, Waghulkar Revdiwale has become an essential part of religious and cultural celebrations.
Located in Budhwar Peth, opposite Srinath Theatre and near the renowned Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple, Waghulkar Revdiwale is a legacy business offering lessons on survival for modern enterprises. For instance, from the beginning, it offered products that most other sweet shops did not.
“Many sweet shops used to make sweets only of sugar. We were the ones who started to make sweets from jaggery. We aimed to provide people with healthy sweets at affordable prices,” says Ishan Pankaj Waghulkar, the fifth-generation owner of Waghulkar Revdiwale.
The shop has maintained its quality and consistency, with the main ingredients being jaggery, sesame, besan and rajgira.
“All these are known for their nutritional value. We also ensure a blend of taste and health,” says Ishan. Today, as a new generation of health-conscious buyers make a beeline for the shop, there is a constant relay of orders throughout the day.
“We sell almost 1,000 kg of revdi per day, 850 kg of godi shev and 250 to 380 kg of rajgira guddani per day,” adds Ishan. These have been the three main items since Baloba Rashaba Waghulkar, who had moved from Brahmin Wada near Sangamner to Pune, established this business. These sweets, considered staples of rural Maharashtra, quickly gained popularity due to their affordability, unique flavours and health benefits.
Despite adhering to old values and keeping the original recipes unchanged, the production process has evolved to meet growing demand. What once was handmade is now produced using machines to cater to a mass market. A challenge to Waghulkar Revdiwale comes from market fluctuations.
“In the past and even now, we see a lot of price fluctuations in jaggery and til (sesame seeds). Balancing price with quality and taste with market changes has been a big challenge for us,” Ishan says.
Waghulkar Revdiwale’s business plan for 2025 is to export to Asian and Arab countries, “Spread out our product to people who don’t know about these healthy sweets. Our sweets are not just desserts but part of our cultural identity. Baloba Waghulkar envisioned making affordable, healthy sweets so that everyone, especially the economically weaker sections, could enjoy them. We maintain the same taste and quality even today,” says Ishan.
