Deliciae by Bunty Mahajan, Mumbai’s pioneering patisserie, marks an incredible 20-year journey this year, celebrating a legacy of crafting exceptional cakes & desserts that have become synonymous with all kinds of celebrations throughout Mumbai. The brand is known to cater to the Ambanis, Godrejs, Hindujas, bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Esha Deol and has become a favourite among the cream de la cream while being a beloved household name as well. The brand this year celebrates a huge milestone of completing 20 years in the industry and estimates INR 40 crore in revenue this year.
Over the years, Bunty Mahajan has catered to several high-profile weddings, birthdays, corporate events and all kinds of celebrations. On the guest list for the exclusive event at Taj Lands End in Mumbai will include- Tanya Godrej, Ananya Goenka, Esha Deol, Punam Sinha, Malaika Arora, Amrita Arora, Ritika & Rohit Sharma, Shibani & Farhan Akhtar, Soha Ali Khan, Sunita Kapoor, Maia Shetty and many more.
Founded in 2004 by visionary pastry chef Bunty Mahajan, Deliciae started as a dessert café in Out of the Blue in Bandra and quickly became the go-to cake & dessert cafe in Mumbai. The journey began with an initial investment of ₹10 lakh, funded entirely by Bunty Mahajan’s husband, Sunil. Over the years, additional investments were made to sustain the business during challenging times. Despite the hurdles, the brand remained a family-run enterprise, with all three partners—Bunty, Sunil, and Suchit—owning 100% of the company.
Since 2016, the brand has seen a rapid growth trajectory- starting small with 5% in 2016, then jumped to 17% in 2017, followed by 37% in 2020 (ie. INR 6 crore), in 2021 it was approximately INR 12 crore, in 2023 the brand clocked 57% growth (INR 24 crore) and now trailing 67% in 2024 (INR 40 crore estimated). The operating profits are reinvested into the business to fund expansions and innovations. Around 6-8% of revenue is churned into marketing and advertising costs to acquire new customers. The brand is estimated to grow to INR 70-100 crore as per its 3 year estimate and expansion plan.
Super-speeding the business expansion is Suchit Mahajan, Managing Partner, “We launched our first flagship store in 2016, after 12 foundational years at Out of the blue. This was the rebirth of the Deliciae brand, and the start of Deliciae’s growth journey both as a brand, and as a business. Today, the brand operates in Mumbai and Bangalore through a network of 12 kitchens and 2 flagship stores and averages over 30,000 orders per month. Deliciae prides itself to be a made-to-order brand, serving fresh cakes & desserts with quick delivery. In Mumbai, we scaled for over 2 years strategically and we were extremely particular about maintaining product quality. We made sure that production systems were set effectively so as to deliver a consistently fresh product each time with short delivery timelines. Once we were able to achieve 100% coverage of Mumbai within 5-6 km of any of our kitchens, we decided to explore another city. We are very new in Bangalore and are currently working on establishing the brand. We picked Bangalore as we received data and indications of overall demand in the city through Swiggy & Zomato. Bangalore is alongside Delhi NCR & Mumbai, so we picked it. Now our focus is to plan to open more delivery kitchens in Mumbai and Bengaluru while eyeing new cities for future growth namely Delhi, Pune and Hyderabad in the next 5 years till 2029. I owe our success to technology and digital solutions, 70% of Deliciae’s revenue comes from these delivery platforms, a significant jump from when we started platform deliveries in 2021, we developed an in-house software to support our backend operations and effectively leveraged Swiggy and Zomato for distribution to expand its reach.”
Wedding and custom cakes have become a cornerstone of Deliciae’s brand identity. Though a niche segment, these bespoke creations not only elevate the brand’s prestige but also allow Deliciae to craft unforgettable moments. Having done Ritika & Rohit Sharma’s daughter’s cake for all her 5 birthday celebrations, is one such example and crafting Anant Ambanis engagement cake is another example of exemplary work by the company. Deliciae has always prioritized quality over fleeting trends, focusing on delivering a consistent, high-quality product. While gourmet cakes remain the brand’s forte, custom cakes reflect its commitment to personalization. This balance between quality and scalability has been instrumental in building customer loyalty. Bunty Mahajan’s expertise in understanding the unique Indian dessert palate, and focusing on the use of fresh, seasonal fruits & generous fillings has set Deliciae apart. Bunty Mahajan’s personal involvement and touch ensure that her passion for baking shines through in every cake Deliciae offers.
Bunty Mahajan leads the creative side of the brand, ”What I began as a passion for baking 50 years ago in 1974, soon evolved into a home grown kitchen business and then Deliciae was born in 2004. We have come a long way, I remember we launched a Wedding Cake Collection in 2011, when wedding cakes in India were unheard of. Ever since, we have created multiple cakes for the Ambani Family & have been a part of many more such prestigious occasions. I am grateful for Deliciae’s journey and what it has become today. A few things that really worked in our favor was that we didn’t jump into trends – we stayed away from cupcakes, macarons, pull up cakes etc but we stuck to our cornerstones for growth and maintained quality. Something that we’ll actively be working on over the next few years is to develop a health segment, not because it would be trending, but because it is the way forward a few years down the line.”
With signature creations like the Rich Chocolate Strawberry Cake, Mango Gateau, and the viral Biscoff Cheesecake, the brand has bagged the Times food Awards consecutively for 5 years from 2020-2024. Over the last 20 years, Bunty Mahajan has created some iconic cakes for the brand. Some of these are:
Death by Chocolate (2004): This was Bunty Mahajan’s first cake that had a fan following for many years to follow.
Mars Haven (2007): During the peak Out of the Blue days, Mars Haven was a cake that Deliciae loyalists ordered and spoke about the most.
Mango Gateau (2011): The Mango Gateau displays Bunty Mahajan’s simplicity in cake making. Nothing complicated, but delicious, generously using the best Fresh Alphonso Mangoes, and most importantly, getting the balance right.
Rich Chocolate Strawberry (2016): This cake was launched when Deliciae opened its first flagship store, and was a key factor in establishing Deliciae’s cake & dessert authority.
Biscoff Cheesecake (2020): Launched in 2020, Bunty Mahajan’s Biscoff Cheesecake is one of the highest selling desserts by volume in Mumbai.
The brand also introduced The Bandra Cakery in 2023, catering to a wider audience with nostalgic flavors like the Pineapple Gateau, Black Forest, Dutch Truffle, Chocolate Buttercream at competitive prices. The Bandra Cakery was launched to target an audience which is different from Deliciae to cater to a market of people who are looking for value with quality, but not for gourmet cakes using expensive ingredients. Within 16 months, this sub-brand has achieved over 6,000 orders monthly, targeting 70-100% growth annually over the next five years. Today, The Bandra Cakery is an online only brand, serviced from all the 14 kitchens and the intent is to open physical stores at a later stage.
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