Typically, hotels only have bakeries and pastry shops. So when this concept of selling mithai came up, we thought it was a brilliant idea. Indians love mithai—so why not have that in hotels too, as a proper product line?” says Ajoy Balkrishna, Vice President, Balwa Group. “The Balwas, who comes from a long line of restaurateurs, really believed in the concept. When it came to us, we took it seriously and opened the first Meetha shop in Radisson Goregaon, starting with a small kitchen.”

As demand grew and the Balwa Group realised people preferred buying mithai from a more artisanal brand over small local shops, they began expanding Meetha’s footprint in the city. “Radisson wants to scale it across the country. While it hasn’t expanded exponentially yet, it’s growing steadily,” says Ajoy Balkrishna.

Mumbai currently has four Meetha stores, all owned by the Balwa Group, with outlets in South Mumbai and Thane in the pipeline. The central factory also supplies the sweets and desserts to Meetha outlets across the western region, which are managed by other Radisson.

The first Meetha opened at Radisson Goregaon, and as demand surged, the Balwa Group set up a 14,000 sq. ft. central kitchen near the hotel. “We started the factory just a year and a half ago. Before that, we had a small kitchen catering to just one outlet,” says Balkrishna. “But during Diwali and other festivals, demand increases tenfold. For regular operations, the small kitchen was fine. But in India, there are festivals almost year-round—Diwali, Holi, Ram Navami, Dussehra—each with its special mithai. Because of that year-round demand, we realised we needed to scale up. Radisson gave us the mandate for the western region. So we are now the sole suppliers for their properties in this part of the country.”

Tucked away in a lane off the main road, the factory is equipped with top-of-the-line equipment. Many mithai-making processes have been automated, making several steps almost hands-free. “Of course, you can’t make Indian mithai entirely without human involvement,” says Chef Raghavendra Singh, the master halwai who steers the Meetha brand in Mumbai. Motichoor ladoos are lovingly hand-rolled by women working in the factory, while halwais often temper and reduce the khoya by hand using huge ladles, rather than relying solely on machines.

And yet, machines now cut and shape mithais—and in the case of kaju katli, even layer them with silver varq—making the process not just easier but faster. 
“A lot of prep work is now semi-automated,” says Chef Singh.

The idea and concept were developed by Chef Rakesh Sethi, Radisson’s corporate chef. When the brand launched, he was instrumental in creating 12 to 14 mithais that could be made using automation.

“Now, we roll out 100 varieties of mithais across a vast spectrum from all over the country, catering to every festival from Eid to Diwali, besides a range of savouries,” says Chef Singh. The core menu is consistent across all stores, especially since most orders come online—via Zomato and Swiggy. “That said, we do change items seasonally. For example, in winter, we use more ghee. We also offer fusion mithais, which is our strength—since we have both a hotel bakery and a mithai shop. It gives us creative flexibility that a regular mithai shop may not have,” says Chef Singh.

Among the experiments by Chef Sethi and his team are Motichoor Cheesecake (a cheesecake infused with the sweet warmth of motichoor), Gulkand Gulab Jamun, Kesar Pista Gulab Jamun, Mango Angoori Rabdi, and Biscoff Kalakand (a Biscoff-flavoured, reduced khoya sweet with a grainy texture), along with vegan and sugar-free options.

The Goregaon outlet, with a separate entrance from the hotel (so you don’t need to enter the property to access the shop), has the ambience of a café: a few loungy, comfortable chairs to sit and enjoy a treat, mithais displayed behind glass counters like they are in a bakery, soft lighting, and a showcase of their elegant packaging.

Packaging is a large part of the Meetha gameplan—sleek and modern, yet traditional enough to feature Indian motifs that link back to our cultural roots, which mithai so deeply represents.A dedicated kitchen at Radisson Goregaon also crafts the mithais, and guests are often invited to explore it.

“We use really good ingredients. If you don’t use good ingredients, you won’t get a good product—it’s as simple as that,” says Santosh Singh, the general manager of the hotel. “Even our mithai isn’t overly sweet, unlike the typical ones that are loaded with sugar. So you don’t have to feel guilty eating them. The shop complements the other F&B offerings at the hotel.”

Winner of several awards, Meetha caters to individual buyers while positioning itself as a luxury product—particularly with its new minimal packaging, aligned with the premiumisation of the space. Its focus on quality, hygiene, and unique initiatives like women-led outlets firmly place it in the premium segment.