Sweet Expansion: Shree Anandhaas brings its signature flavours to Chennai

The Hindu

11-07-2025

If you travel to Coimbatore and return with a suitcase crammed with snacks, here is some good news. Shree Anandhaas has finally opened its first outlet in Chennai, so you can make your murrukku and halwa hauls more frequent. With one outlet in Mogappair West, which features a chaat counter and dining space, and two more in the pipeline in Kolathur and Selaiyur, the brand currently offers around 150 varieties of sweets and 80 types of savouries.
Shree Anandhaas is a family-owned business that began its journey as a restaurant in 1998. It later expanded into the world of sweets and snacks, launching its first dedicated outlet in 2017 within one of its restaurants in Coimbatore. 'My cousin Manikandan's father first ventured into the food business, running a vegetarian restaurant in Tirunelveli in the 60s and '70s,' says K. Venkatesh, Director of Shree Anandhaas and cousin of Manikandan. 'When he retired, he chose to settle in Coimbatore.'
Carrying forward their father's legacy, Manikandan, along with his three cousins — K Venkatesh, N V Nammalvar, and Narayanan Ram — founded Shree Anandhaas restaurant in 1998, just weeks after the bomb blast that shook the city. Nevertheless they soldiered on. And today, the brand has grown to include ten restaurants and two cafes, in addition to its expanding line of sweets and snacks.
Once they had gained confidence in running the restaurant, the team decided to venture into sweets and savouries. But with several established brands already dominating the market, they knew they had to do something different. To truly understand the industry, the partners travelled across the country, observing and learning at every stop. 'In every state we visited, we discovered something new,' says Venkatesh. 'We took inspiration from how sweet shops were run, how the products were packaged, and, most importantly, the kind of customer experience they offered. That had a big impact on how we shaped our own approach.'
The emphasis has always been on improving customer experience from the moment they walk into the store. A key highlight is the sampling desk, where visitors can taste mysurpa, halwa, and any newly introduced products. The mysurpa range is particularly distinctive, featuring creative variations made with carrot, beetroot, red banana, blackcurrant, and more. 'Apart from focusing on the overall experience, we also make sure our products are affordable and accessible,' says Nammalvar. 'For example, items like Sattur laddu, paneer jangri, and boondi mixture are priced at ₹320 per kilo.'
The Chennai launch also introduced Kaju melts and pedha elaneer ladoo. Kaju choco melts consist of delicate cashew layers encasing a molten chocolate core. Pedha elaneer ladoo features a gel‑like tender coconut sphere at its centre, wrapped in a smooth milk pedha coating. Both are kept chilled to ensure the ideal texture and tasting experience.
South Indian sweets are dominated by spherical ladoos, mysurpak, and rice‑flour savouries. At Shree Anandhaas, the team has mastered ladoo making and introduced inventive variations. 'Our signature badam rose ladoo is inspired by rose milk,' explains Venkatesh. 'Developed by our innovation team, this reimagined sweet blends floral notes with generous chunks of almond and cashew. Gulkand biscuit ladoo and kaju rice ladoo are also among our customers' favourites.'
Coimbatore, in the Kongu region, is celebrated for its abundant coconuts, and at Shree Anandhaas their signature tender coconut halwa disappears almost as soon as it is made. Translucent and light, this halwa offers a glass‑like texture with a delicate roasted -coconut aroma. 'Our elaneer halwa was born out of our love for tender coconut,' says Venkatesh. 'Crafted with Pollachi's coconuts, it's joined by thenga muttai — a sweet made from palm jaggery and coconut.'
The manufacturing unit is located in Poonamallee, near Chennai, and operates round the clock with a team of over 100 staff, supplying products to the Chennai outlets. Plans are underway to open three more outlets in Chennai.
'We recruit master chefs from various cities across the country to ensure authenticity and a native touch in all our offerings,' he says. 'At our exclusive Kovilpatti special counter, we offer regional delicacies such as thaen mittai, inji mittai, eelu urundai, nilakadalai urundai, pottu kalada urundai, and kalkona, all prepared by experts from that region.'
Shree Anandhaas is located at Mogappair West. 8 am to 10 pm. Phone: [phone]. Outlets in Kolathur to be launched on 16 July and Selaiyur on August 2. To order online, pan India and worldwide, log on to www.anandhaassweets.com