Ismail Industries

What Ismail Industries does

Ismail Industries Limited is a Karachi-headquartered, publicly listed (PSX: ISIL) Pakistani food and packaging manufacturing conglomerate operating five divisions across confectionery, biscuits, savory snacks, flexible packaging films, and wheat milling. Its consumer brands — CandyLand (the largest confectionery manufacturer in Pakistan), Bisconni (market leader in cookies and wafers), and SnackCity (market leader in crinkle chips) — are produced at six manufacturing sites spanning Karachi, Hub (Balochistan), and Lahore, and are sold domestically through retail and wholesale networks and exported to 60+ countries via global key accounts including Carrefour, Poundland, and Spar, as well as private label arrangements. The Astro Films division manufactures BOPET, CPP, and BOPP packaging films with 73,200 tons of annual film capacity and 19,000 tons of metallization capacity, serving customers in over 30 countries, while the 2022-launched Ghiza Flour Mills in Port Qasim operates 86,400 tons of annual wheat milling capacity using Buhler roller technology. The company also holds a 24.16% stake in Bank of Khyber and a wholly owned pharma subsidiary (Hudson Pharma).

Revenue is generated primarily through branded consumer goods sales (domestic retail/wholesale) and B2B packaging film and flour milling sales, supplemented by export and private-label manufacturing under FSSC 22000, ISO 22000, US FDA, and SANHA Halal certifications. Ismail Industries carries a PACRA credit rating of A1 (short term) and A+ (long term), and is family-controlled, with key leadership distributed across the Ismail family — Chairman Muhammad M. Ismail, CEO Munsarim Saif, and divisional chiefs for Bisconni/SnackCity, CandyLand/Ismail Nutrition, and Ghiza. Recent financial trajectory shows revenue growing from approximately PKR 238 billion in 2021 to PKR 432 billion in 2025 with corresponding expansion in operating income, reflecting the combined effect of new division launches, manufacturing scale, and export channel development.

Name

Ismail Industries

Legal name

Ismail Industries Limited

Website

https://ismailindustries.com.pk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ismail Industries Limited is a publicly listed Pakistani food and packaging conglomerate operating five divisions — CandyLand confectionery, Bisconni biscuits, SnackCity snacks, Astro Films packaging films, and Ghiza flour milling — selling branded and private-label products across 60+ countries from six manufacturing sites in Karachi, Hub, and Lahore.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaged Foods Manufacturing

NAICS

Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (3113), Cookie, Cracker, and Pasta Manufacturing (31182), Snack Food Manufacturing (31191)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060), Cookies & Crackers (2052), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Chocolate & Candy Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crackers, Biscuits & Grain Snacks Manufacturing (savory biscuits, crispbreads) (AFAKABAH), Specialty Snack Foods Manufacturing (Ethnic/Regional, Gourmet, Functional) (AFAKAIAO)

Keywords

• Confectionery manufacturing
• Biscuit production
• Snack manufacturing
• Flexible packaging films
• Wheat flour milling

Headquarters

HQ city

Karachi

HQ country

Pakistan

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Manufacturing and Trading of Food Products: Manufacturing and trading of sugar confectionery items, biscuits, potato chips under brands CandyLand, Bisconni, SnackCity, and flexible packaging films under Astro Films brand. Revenue from domestic sales through retail and wholesale distribution.
2. Export and Private Label Manufacturing: Products available under own brands and Private Labels in over 60 countries including global key accounts like Carrefour, Poundland, Spar.
3. Ghiza Flour Products: Wheat milling products including Ghiza Maida, Ghiza Special Fine Atta, Ghiza Super Fine Atta, and Ghiza Bran sold to bakeries, food manufacturers, and dairy farmers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ismail Industries manufactures and sells a diversified range of packaged food products—including sugar confectionery (candy, chocolate, jelly, lollipops, marshmallows, bubble gum) under CandyLand, biscuits and cookies under Bisconni, potato chips and savory snacks under SnackCity, wheat flour products under Ghiza—and flexible packaging films (BOPET, CPP, BOPP with metallization) under Astro Films. The company also produces private label packaged foods for global retailers and sells industrial flexible packaging films and milling products to business customers. Products are distributed through retail and wholesale networks in Pakistan and exported to 60+ countries.

Product overview

Ismail Industries Limited is a Pakistani food manufacturing company with five distinct divisions: CandyLand (confectionery - candies, chocolates, jellies, lollipops, marshmallows), Bisconni (biscuits and cookies), SnackCity (potato chips and savory snacks), Astro Films (flexible packaging films - BOPET, CPP, BOPP), and Ghiza (flour milling). The company operates as a diversified food conglomerate with a global export footprint in 60+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CandyLand: Confectionery brand offering candies, chocolates, jellies, and bubble gums. Leading confectionery company of Pakistan since 1988.
• Bisconni
• SnackCity
• Astro Films
• Ghiza

Products and services

• CandyLand Confectionery CandyLand is Ismail Industries' flagship confectionery brand offering candies, chocolates, jellies, lollipops, marshmallows, and bubble gums for retail consumers. Sub-brands include Chili Mili, ABC Jelly, Funny Bunny Lollipops, Puffs Marshmallows, Fanty candy, Novella, Now, Paradise, and Sonnet. Products are distributed domestically through retail and wholesale and exported to 30+ countries.
• Bisconni Biscuits and Cookies Bisconni produces premium biscuits, cookies, sandwich biscuits, wafers, and cakes for retail consumers in Pakistan. Sub-brands include Treat, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolatto, Novita, and Rite sandwich biscuits. It is the market leader in Pakistan's cookies and wafers category. The Bisconni brand also operates associated Bisconni Cakes, Bisconni Music, and Bisconni Kids engagement channels.
• SnackCity Potato Chips and Savory Snacks SnackCity produces potato chips and savory snacks including Kurleez, Chillz, Fillz, Smax, peanuts, and Nimko for retail consumers in Pakistan. The brand is the market leader in the crinkle chips category in Pakistan, using world's best manufacturing machinery at its Hub, Balochistan facility.
• Astro Films Flexible Packaging Films Astro Films manufactures BOPET, CPP, and BOPP flexible packaging films with metallization capacity for industrial customers in food packaging, pharmaceuticals, cigarettes, shampoo, and adhesive tape segments. Annual capacity is 73,200 tons for films and 19,000 tons for metallization, serving customers in 26+ countries across 5 continents under brands Astro Pack, Plastiflex Films, and Astro Plastics.
• Ghiza Wheat Flour Milling Ghiza is Ismail Industries' wheat flour milling brand producing Ghiza Maida, Ghiza Special Fine Atta, Ghiza Super Fine Atta, and Ghiza Bran for bakeries, food manufacturers, HoReCa customers, and dairy farmers in Pakistan. The Karachi production hub spans 13,152 sqm with 3,344 sqm building area, using Buhler roller milling technology with annual capacity exceeding 86,400 tons.

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Plastiflex Films (Private) LimitedcoreOthers · 1 January 2011Wholly owned subsidiary of Ismail Industries incorporated on May 30, 2011. Acquired BOPP manufacturing operations from M/s Macpac Films Ltd. Mr. Ahmed Muhammad, Director of Ismail Industries, is also Director of Plastiflex Films.
• Hudson Pharma (Private) LimitedminorOthers · 1 January 2010Related entity incorporated on May 5, 2010 under Companies Ordinance 1984. Aims to provide injectable medicines in polyethylene ampoules and bottles to hospitals in Pakistan.
• Astro Plastics Pvt. Ltd.coreOthers · 1 January 1993Part of Astro Films family of brands (Astro Pack, Plastiflex Films Pvt. Ltd., and Astro Plastics Pvt. Ltd.) manufacturing flexible packaging films.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Foods Limited: Listed Pakistani spice, condiment, and processed food manufacturer; comparable as a diversified Pakistani branded food company with similar multi-category distribution depth and export orientation.
• Nestlé Pakistan: Subsidiary of Nestlé S.A. operating in Pakistan across confectionery (Milo, KitKat), dairy, beverages, and culinary — directly competing with CandyLand, Bisconni, and Ghiza flour in overlapping product and distribution territories.
• Al Kabeer Group: Pakistani conglomerate with significant confectionery, biscuits, and food processing operations; competes with CandyLand and Bisconni in domestic confectionery and bakery categories.
• Tri-Pack Films: Pakistan's largest BOPP/CPP flexible packaging film manufacturer — the closest direct peer to Ismail Industries' Astro Films division in technology, customer base, and capacity scale within the Pakistani packaging films industry.
• Hilal Foods: Leading Pakistani confectionery manufacturer (Hi-5, CandyBar brands) and direct in-market competitor to CandyLand in sugar confectionery, jellies, and toffees across Pakistan's retail and wholesale channels.

Regional players

• Parle Products: Indian biscuit and confectionery major (Parle-G, Monaco, Hide & Seek); a comparable South Asian peer for Bisconni's biscuit franchise with shared low-cost mass-market positioning, though operating primarily in India.

Broad incumbents

• Lotte Confectionery: South Korean confectionery and snack conglomerate with expanding South Asian presence; comparable to Ismail as a multi-category Asian confectionery and snacks platform with significant export capability.
• Mondelez Pakistan (Mondelez International): Global confectionery and biscuit giant (Cadbury Dairy Milk, Oreo, Toblerone) operating in Pakistan; competes head-on with Bisconni in biscuits/cookies and with CandyLand in chocolate confectionery through deeper global marketing budgets.
• Engro Foods (FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan): Major Pakistani dairy and consumer foods company (Olpers, Tarang); a broad incumbent peer in branded consumer foods with overlapping distribution and modern-trade leverage versus Ismail's snack and confectionery portfolio.

Others

• Packages Limited: Pakistani packaging conglomerate producing cartons, flexible packaging, and consumer products; comparable to Ismail Industries' vertically integrated structure with packaging and consumer goods divisions under one group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ismail Industries