MegaBrands · Packaged bakery, bread and cakes
Modern Foods: How a 1965 Government Bakery Became India’s Benchmark in Packaged Bread and Cakes
Modern Foods, selected as the Mega Brand for Packaged bakery, bread and cakes by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC, was set up by the Government of India in 1965. Six decades and four owners later, the Modern name still carries the loaf.
Modern Foods in numbers
At a glance
Modern Foods began in 1965 as Modern Bakeries (India) Ltd, a Government of India company, and took the name Modern Foods in 1982. It was privatised in 2000, when the government awarded 74% of the company to Hindustan Unilever, and has belonged to Grupo Bimbo since 2021. At the time of that deal, Modern ran seven plants and sold through more than 80,000 outlets across India. It is the Mega Brand for Packaged bakery, bread and cakes in WCRC MegaBrands.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Modern |
| Owner | Modern Food Enterprises Pvt Ltd, part of Grupo Bimbo |
| Roots | Modern Bakeries (India) Ltd, set up by the Government of India in 1965; renamed Modern Foods in 1982 |
| Ownership history | Government of India (1965); Hindustan Unilever (from 2000); Everstone (from 2016); Grupo Bimbo (from 2021) |
| Leadership (owner) | Daniel Servitje, Executive Chair, Grupo Bimbo; Alejandro Rodriguez Bas, Chief Executive Officer, Grupo Bimbo |
| Category | Packaged bakery, bread and cakes |
| Range | White, sweet, and health and wellness breads; rusks, cakes, muffins, buns, pavs and cream rolls |
| Manufacturing | Seven plants (2021) |
| Reach | More than 80,000 outlets across India (2021) |
| Recognition | Selected as the Mega Brand for Packaged bakery, bread and cakes by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC |
Modern Foods has been part of India’s breakfast table for six decades. It was started by the state itself, and it has passed through government, a consumer goods major, a private equity investor and a global baking group while keeping the same name on the pack the whole way.
The story begins in 1965, when the Government of India set up Modern Bakeries (India) Ltd. In 1982 the company was renamed Modern Foods India Ltd. In January 2000, the government awarded 74% of Modern Foods to Hindustan Unilever, a move HUL itself describes as “a historic step”. HUL bought the government’s remaining stake in 2002. In 2015, HUL agreed to sell its bread and bakery business under the Modern brand to Nimman Foods, an Everstone vehicle, which owned it from 2016. In February 2021, Grupo Bimbo announced that it had acquired Modern Food Enterprises Pvt Ltd from Everstone.
WCRC MegaBrands covers 501 categories in India and selects one benchmark brand in each. It looks at brands through five pillars: Brand Positioning & Recall; Consumer Trust & Sentiment; Product, Innovation & Delivery; Sustainability, Governance & ESG; and Digital & Financial Soundness. Modern Foods has been selected as the Mega Brand for Packaged bakery, bread and cakes by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting). Here is how Modern’s record lines up with each pillar.
Modern Foods through the years
- 1965Modern Bakeries (India) Ltd set up by the Government of India
- 1982Renamed Modern Foods India Ltd
- 2000Government awards 74% of Modern Foods to Hindustan Unilever
- 2002Hindustan Unilever acquires the government's remaining stake
- 2016Everstone takes ownership of the Modern bread and bakery business
- 2021Grupo Bimbo acquires Modern Food Enterprises
Pillar 1: How Modern Foods Owns Share of Mind
Brand Positioning & Recall · weighted 28% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this
Modern’s strongest claim on memory is its age. Modern says it “pioneered the concept of bread, and literally created the bread category in India”. That is the brand’s own account; what the record shows is that the Modern name has been in Indian bread since 1965, six decades of history in the category.
The second source of recall is continuity. Four very different owners have held the business, and none of them replaced the name. Each change of hands was a chance to rebrand, and each owner chose to keep Modern. That choice suggests how much each buyer valued the name.
The third is renewal. Everstone, which bought the business in April 2016, relaunched the Modern bread brand nationwide in June 2017. In May 2017, Modern Food Enterprises appointed a new creative agency with a plan to market the brand in micro markets through a social, local and mobile approach. When the business passed to Grupo Bimbo in 2021, Everstone Capital Asia’s Managing Director, Roshini Bakshi, credited portfolio expansion and wider reach for the progress Modern had made.
Pillar 2: Why Indian Homes Trust Modern Foods
Consumer Trust & Sentiment · weighted 26% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this
Trust in a bread brand is earned one loaf at a time, every morning. Modern has had six decades to earn it. The brand was born in the public sector, and for its first 35 years it was a government company. When it moved to private hands in 2000, HUL called the decision “a historic step”, words that still stand in its own corporate history.
The size of that trust at its height is part of the brand’s own story. Modern says it held a 40% share of the Indian bread market at one stage. That is a historical claim made by the brand, not a current figure.
Trust also travels with ownership. Each of Modern’s owners has been a large, well-known institution: the Government of India, Hindustan Unilever, Everstone and now Grupo Bimbo. For shoppers, that has meant a brand with established backers throughout its life.
Pillar 3: What Modern Foods Bakes and How It Reaches Shelves
Product, Innovation & Delivery · weighted 20% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this
Modern’s range covers the everyday and the occasional. When Grupo Bimbo acquired the business in 2021, the portfolio included white, sweet, and health and wellness breads, along with value-added products such as rusks, cakes, muffins, buns, pavs and cream rolls. The range answers the morning toast, the evening snack and the family celebration with one familiar name.
Delivery is where bread brands win or lose, because bread is a fresh product that must reach shelves quickly. At the time of the 2021 deal, Modern operated seven manufacturing plants and sold through more than 80,000 outlets across India. Grupo Bimbo said the seven plants gave it access to a nationwide manufacturing and distribution network.
That network has been part of Grupo Bimbo since 2021, alongside the group’s other baking operations in India.
Pillar 4: Modern Foods Under Accountable Ownership
Sustainability, Governance & ESG · weighted 16% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this
Modern’s governance story is one of steady hand-offs between accountable owners. The government set the company up and ran it for 35 years. Its sale to Hindustan Unilever followed a formal privatisation decision in 2000, and HUL completed the purchase in 2002. Each later sale, to Everstone and then to Grupo Bimbo, was publicly announced.
Today Modern Food Enterprises Pvt Ltd is part of Grupo Bimbo. The group is led by Executive Chair Daniel Servitje and Chief Executive Officer Alejandro Rodriguez Bas, who took charge in November 2025.
Modern does not publish brand-level sustainability reports. Its owner has made group-wide commitments: in 2021, Grupo Bimbo pledged to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, signed up to the Business Ambition for 1.5°C and joined the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign, using the Science Based Targets initiative framework to set its target. These are commitments of the Grupo Bimbo group, not targets published for Modern.
Pillar 5: The Financial Backing Behind Modern Foods
Digital & Financial Soundness · weighted 10% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this
Modern Food Enterprises is a private company and does not publish brand-level revenue. Its financial backing is best read through its owner. The Grupo Bimbo group as a whole reported 4.5% net sales growth in the second quarter of 2026; this is a group figure, not Modern’s. In the group’s Europe, Asia and Africa region, trade press reported, strong local-currency performance in markets including India helped drive growth.
That backing matters for a fresh-bread business, which depends on daily baking and daily replenishment of shelves.
On the digital side, the public record is limited to the 2017 plan to reach micro markets through social, local and mobile channels.
The Modern Foods Benchmark
Every category has leaders. A MegaBrand is the brand its category is measured against. Modern holds that place in Indian packaged bread and cakes on the strength of its record. It has been in the category since 1965, it has kept its name through four owners, it built a national plant and distribution network and it now has the backing of a global baking group.
Above all, Modern shows that a brand rooted in the public sector can make the journey to private ownership and still keep its place on the breakfast table. Sixty years on, the loaf in the Modern pack is a link between the India of 1965 and the India of today.
Modern Foods on MegaBrands
Follow Modern Foods's consumer pulse
Powerfacts
What does Modern Foods make?
Modern Foods makes packaged bread and bakery products. Its range covers white, sweet, and health and wellness breads, plus rusks, cakes, muffins, buns, pavs and cream rolls.
When was Modern Foods founded and who owns it today?
Modern Foods was set up by the Government of India in 1965 as Modern Bakeries (India) Ltd and renamed in 1982. It has belonged to Grupo Bimbo since 2021, through Modern Food Enterprises Pvt Ltd.
Who leads Modern Foods’ owner?
Modern Foods’ owner, Grupo Bimbo, is led by Executive Chair Daniel Servitje and Chief Executive Officer Alejandro Rodriguez Bas, who took charge in November 2025.
More Questions About Modern Foods
How was Modern Foods privatised?
In January 2000, the Government of India awarded 74% of Modern Foods to Hindustan Unilever. HUL acquired the government’s remaining stake in 2002.
Who has owned Modern Foods over the years?
Modern Foods was owned by the Government of India from 1965, by Hindustan Unilever from 2000, by Everstone from 2016 and by Grupo Bimbo from 2021.
How many plants does Modern Foods run?
At the time of Grupo Bimbo’s acquisition in 2021, Modern operated seven manufacturing plants in India.
How widely is Modern bread sold?
In 2021, Modern products were sold through more than 80,000 outlets across India.
What share of the bread market did Modern Foods once hold?
Modern says it held a 40% share of the Indian bread market at one stage. This is a historical figure from the brand, not a current market share.
Why is Modern Foods the Mega Brand for Packaged bakery, bread and cakes?
Modern Foods has been selected as the Mega Brand for Packaged bakery, bread and cakes by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC. Its record spans six decades, a name kept through four owners, a national baking network and the backing of a global baking group.
About Modern Foods
Modern Foods is an Indian bread and bakery brand, owned by Modern Food Enterprises Pvt Ltd, part of Grupo Bimbo. It was set up by the Government of India in 1965 as Modern Bakeries (India) Ltd, renamed in 1982 and privatised in 2000. Its range covers breads, rusks, cakes, muffins, buns, pavs and cream rolls. Modern Foods has been selected as the Mega Brand for Packaged bakery, bread and cakes by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting).