Krishna Pauroti Bhandar is a pioneer bread company in Nepal, started with a belief to create ample scope for bread and cakes in Nepal. With an aim to continue the legacy, we value delectable taste and exceptional service in every loaf that comes from us.
For anyone living in Kathmandu in the 50s, Krishna Pauroti was synonymous with ‘pauroti’ (bread). Established in 1949, when the now ubiquitous white bread was a novelty, the bakery is an institution, with three generations of Rajkarnikars keeping its legacy well and alive, even today. Founded by Krishna Bahadur Rajkarnikar, the bakery introduced Nepalis to bread at a time when there was none, and its tale runs parallely with the history of democracy in the country. Gajraj was the first of the Rajkarnikars who worked for the Ranas during the one-family rule. After his death, Hiraman, his eldest son also continued the business.After the demise of Hiraman, Krishna Bahadur continued the work at Bir Shumsher’s Laal Durbar.
The city had countless bakeries producing quality delicacies, but access was limited only to those who could afford it. Krishna Bahadur started working at one such bakery in the city. There, he learnt first-hand the workings of a bakery and all tricks of trade.
More than that, the young Krishna learnt to be enterprising, a quality loathed by the ruling Ranas back home. He came back home in 1948 with a renewed spirit. The times were changing and the ruling Ranas had became more flexible, loosening their stronghold in the country’s administration. Padma Shumsher Rana, the then prime minister introduced the first Constitution in Nepal’s history in the same year, a history which was till then written by kings and their descendants of various dynasties.
Unfortunately, before the machineries made it to Kathmandu, Krishna Bahadur Rajkarnikar was met with his demise. His four sons took over the business paving way for a modern bakery that we see today. The sons expanded the business further by borrowing in Rs. 20 lakhs from Nepal Industrial Development Corporation, a major portion of which was spent in importing the machineries. Krishna Pauroti was the only bakery producing bread at that time selling more than 30-35,000 loaves daily. But soon after, other similar bakeries started opening up.More than half-a-decade after its inception, the bakery is now run by Krishna Bahadur’s grand daughters, after being run by son Ghana Shyam Rajkarnikar. The bakery now faces similar problems faced by many mid-sized industries in the country. It faces stiff competition from countless bakeries. Modernisation of the ageing equipment is also a problem. Even then, the brand still enjoys popularity among the populace in the face of its familiarity. “ Many bakeries have offered to licence the brand but we are not allowing it,” says Ghana Shyam Rajkarnikar. “Even though the sales may not be as strong as in the heydays,” he further adds, “we still do not compromise in the quality.”
Krishna Pauroti Bhandar is a pioneer bread company in Nepal, started with a belief to create ample scope for bread and cakes in Nepal. With an aim to continue the legacy, we value delectable taste and exceptional service in every loaf that comes from us.
For anyone living in Kathmandu in the 50s, Krishna Pauroti was synonymous with ‘pauroti’ (bread). Established in 1949, when the now ubiquitous white bread was a novelty, the bakery is an institution, with three generations of Rajkarnikars keeping its legacy well and alive, even today. Founded by Krishna Bahadur Rajkarnikar, the bakery introduced Nepalis to bread at a time when there was none, and its tale runs parallely with the history of democracy in the country. Gajraj was the first of the Rajkarnikars who worked for the Ranas during the one-family rule. After his death, Hiraman, his eldest son also continued the business.After the demise of Hiraman, Krishna Bahadur continued the work at Bir Shumsher’s Laal Durbar.
