A tale of a sweet maker

Pawan Misthan Bhandar, located in Bhairahawa serves various sweets and Indian vegetarian dishes. Since 2025, this sweet shop has been serving its customers.

While they are well known for their sweets, their most popular one is peda (an Indian dessert made with milk). These specific sweet from their store are in such high demand that even non-resident Nepalis order it from their family.

The present owner Pawan Kumar Haluwai has been running the business for almost 15 years. His maternal grandmother was the one who taught him how to make sweets.

Haluwai says, “The recipe that we used was handed over from one generation to another for years. I believe, the reason why our pedas are so popular is because we make it purely with milk, curd, sugar and cardamom. And our customers love it because of the purity and traditional flavor.”

The show was first started by his father, Radheshyam Haluwai, who got the recipe from his grandmother, Karamdani Haluwai after facing financial troubles.

The third-generation sweet maker says, "My family was robbed and we were forced to sell our lands just to survive." "My grandfather had also opened a sweet shop after moving to Sunauli bazaar, however, the business didn’t take off as expected," he added.

The sweet shop which started in one-room store now has grown to a three-storey building. And it also has its branch in Butwal.

“I became a successful businessman because of all the pain and suffering I went through. I even had to sell my bicycle because I barely had Rs 400 with me”, he explains. “After we establishing 'Pawan Misthan Bhandar' we have employed more than 500 people from Bhairahawa”, says Haluwai.

However, Haluwai explains how their workers are like family to them. “We look after them and their family, from their education to their health," he says.

While 'Pawan Misthan Bhandar' has come a long way from where it had started, Haluwai still believes there is more to go. "I want to open more sweet shop in many places of Nepal," he adds.