If tea is India’s most beloved drink, then Parle G biscuits are, perhaps, the nation’s favourite accompaniment to the beverage.
This sweet and crunchy delight is still a comfort food for many. So, if you are one of those people, we have a sweet tale to tell.
The story goes that as the Swadeshi movement was brewing back home, Mohanlal Dayal of the Chauhans, a Mumbai-based family of silk traders, went to Germany to learn the art of confectionery making.
The story goes that as the Swadeshi movement was brewing back home, Mohanlal Dayal of the Chauhans, a Mumbai-based family of silk traders, went to Germany to learn the art of confectionery making.
He came back to India in 1929 and bought and refurbished a decrepit, old factory to manufacture confectionery.
With a strength of just 12 men, the factory began its operations the same year. And thus was born the first Indian-owned confectionery brand — Parle.
It was only a decade after its foundation that Parle started manufacturing biscuits.
At the time, United Biscuits, Huntly & Palmers, Britannia and Glaxo were prominent British brands that ruled the market. Parle came as a Swadeshi and affordable source of nourishment for the common masses.
In 1947, immediately after independence, India saw an acute shortage of wheat. The company started producing barley biscuits for some time.
At the time, United Biscuits, Huntly & Palmers, Britannia and Glaxo were prominent British brands that ruled the market. Parle came as a Swadeshi and affordable source of nourishment for the common masses.
By the 60s, the company started feeling an air of competition with newer brands coming up with their glucose biscuits.
They modified their packaging and hence were born the Parle-G; G for ‘Glucose’, and later, ‘Genius’. They even came up with a new quirky headline — “often imitated, never equalled”.
The company has always used interesting advertising to attract customers. For instance, its 2013 ad campaign encouraged parents to give their kids a free hand in pursuing their dreams by calling them ‘Kal ka Genius’.
Presently, the company boasts sales figures of over a billion packets a month.
This accounts for a hundred million packets of Parle G every month, or 14,600 crore biscuits in the entire year, which adds up to 121 biscuits each for 1.21 billion Indians.