A long time ago, during the British Rule, a small factory was set up in the suburbs of Mumbai, to manufacture sweets & toffees. The year was 1929 and the market was dominated by freely imported, famous international brands. Despite the odds and unequal competition, this company, Parle Products, survived and succeeded, by adhering to high quality and improvising from time to time. The intent was to spread joy and cheer amongst children and adults alike.
The company knew that it would not be an easy task, but they decided to take on the challenge. A decade later, in 1939, Parle Products began manufacturing biscuits, in addition to sweets and toffees. Having an already established reputation for quality, the Parle brand name grew in strength with this diversific-ation. Parle Glucose (Parle G) and Parle Monaco were the first biscuit brands to be introduced, which later went on to become leading names for great taste and quality. Since then, the Parle name has grown in all directions, won international fame and has been sweetening people’s lives all over India and abroad.

PARLE FOUGHT TO MAKE BISCUITS AFFORDABLE
When Parle began production in 1939, biscuits were very much a luxury food in India. Apart from Glucose and Monaco, Parle offered a wide variety of brands.
However, during the Second World War, all domestic biscuit production was diverted to assist the Indian soldiers in India and the Far East. Apart from this, the shortage of wheat in those days, made Parle decide to concentrate on the more popular brands, so that people could enjoy the price benefits. Thankfully today, there’s no dearth of ingredients and the demand for more premium brands is on the rise. That’s why; they now have a wide range of biscuits and mouth watering confectionaries to offer.

STRENGTH OF THE BRAND
Over the years, Parle has grown to become a multi-million dollar company. Many Parle’s products – biscuits or confectionaries, are market leaders in their category and have won acclaim at the Monde Selection, since 1971. Today, Parle enjoys a 40% share of the total biscuit market and a 15%
share of the total confectionary market, in India. Parle Biscuit brands, such as, Parle-G, Monaco and Krackjack and confectionery brands, such as, Melody, Poppins, Mangobite and Kismi, enjoy a strong imagery and appeal amongst consumers.

Be it a big city or a remote village of India, the Parle name symbolizes quality, health and great taste! And yet, we know that this reputation has been built, by constantly innovating and catering to new tastes. This can be seen by the success of new brands, like, Hide & Seek, or the single twist wrapping of Mangobite. In this way, by concentrating on consumer tastes and preferences and emphasizing Research & Development, the Parle brand grows from strength to strength.

THE COMMITMENT
Parle Products has a factory at Mumbai that manufactures biscuits & confectioneries while another one at Bahadurgarh, (Haryana) manufactures biscuits. Aditionally, Parle has manufacturing facilities at Neemrana, (Rajasthan) and at Bangalore (Karnataka). Factories at Bahadurgarh and Neemrana are the largest such manufacturing facilites in India. Parle Products also has 14 manufacturing units for biscuits & 5 manufacturing units for confectioneries, all these factories are strategicaly located, so as to ensure a smooth flow & easy distribution. State-of-the-art machinery, with automated packaging and labeling ensure hygenic production facilities.
Great care is exercised in the selection & quality control of raw materials and packaging materials.

The Group Product Manager of Parle Products Ltd, Mr. Mayank Shah was exclusively spoke to Franchise Today about the journey of brand “Parle” till date.

Q. Can you Shed some light on the origin, growth and success of the brand “PARLE”?
Parle Product’s fame and familiar-ity is undeniable. Considering its extensive reach, the brand Parle is known and recognized by everyone. Over the years, Parle’s sweets and biscuits have become a household name. From kids to adults, everyone loves and cherishes these treats. It gives us great pleasure to see our consumers enjoy and embrace Parle products on daily basis. Our confectioners and chefs have the utmost authority at Parle. Had it not been so, the beginning of Parle would have been quite different.
In 1929 a small company by the name of Parle products emerged in British dominated India. The goal was to spread joy and cheer to children and adults alike, all over the country with its sweets and candies.
Although, the company knew that it wouldn’t be an easy task, they decided to take the brave step. A small factory was set up in the suburbs of Mumbai to manufacture confectionery products. A decade later this factory was upgraded to manufac-ture biscuits as well.
Q. The Product “PARLE-G” is a historic brand, how does it still manage to retain its Position?
Nourishing, Hygienic, affordable snack is how Parle G is perceived. Filled with the goodness of milk and wheat, Parle-G is a source of all round nourishment. Treat yourself to a pack of yummy Parle-G biscuits to experience what has nurtured and strengthened millions of people for over 70 years. From early days when it was positioned as a tasty healthy biscuit the brand has evolved and positioned itself today as a wholesome nourishment that helps all round development of kids, making them physically strong and mentally agile. The brand has changed over the period to keep up with the changing requirement of its consumers – kids. The punch line of the brand is Parle G – ‘G’ maane Genius.

Q. How would you rate franchising style of business from various other formats like retailing or distribution?
It is very effective style of business, especially for high priced/premium products, services and capital intensive businesses. However it is some time before we see franchising style of business being adopted by mass FMCG brands.
Q. Each failure, each obstacle, each stumbling block of Parle can be turned into a success story. How does it feel to be associated with such a big brand?
It is indeed a matter of great pride to work on such a brand. Not only is it the World’s Largest Selling Biscuit Brand (in terms of volume), It is also the highest penetrated FMCG brand in India (as per IRS). In fact it is a matter of pride for all Indians that an Indian Brand is the World’s largest brand selling in a western snack category (Biscuits).

Q. What are the future plans of the brand?
The way the brand is consumed today is more close to staple. The future plan is to increase the penetration further and also drive the per capita consumption.

THE EVOLUTION
Parle-G has been a strong household name across India. Great taste, high nutrition, and the international quality, makes Parle-G a winner. No wonder, it’s the undisputed leader in the biscuit category for decades. Parle-G is consumed by people of all ages, the rich & the poor, city dwellers & in villagers alike. For some it is a snack, and for others it’s a complete meal. For some it’s the best accompaniment for chai, while for some it’s a way of getting charged whenever they are low on energy. Because of this, Parle-G is the world’s largest selling brand of biscuits. In the movie Welcome, an actor, in a passing reference notes that even biscuits command respect and have to be addressed with a ‘ji’ (a term of respect in Hindi). This remark, while made in jest, is not far off the mark. Parle ‘G’ is a heritage brand”.
Launched in 1939, it was one of the first brands of Parle Products. It was called Parle Gluco Biscuits mainly to cue that it was a glucose biscuit. It was manufactured at the, Vile Parle factory and sold in units of half and quarter pound packs. The incredible demand led Parle to introduce the brand in special branded packs and in larger festive tin packs. By the year 1949, Parle Gluco biscuits were available not just in Mumbai but also across the state. Parle-G grew bigger by the minute. Be it the packs sold, the areas covered or the number of consumers. It became a part of the daily lives of many Indians. It wasn’t a biscuit any more. It had become an icon. The next level of communication associated the brand with the positive values of life like honesty, sharing and caring. Parle-G continues to climb the stairs of success.
Take a look at the global market where it is being exported. First the Middle East then USA followed by Africa, then Australia, a pan-global Indian brand. And that’s what one would expect from the Parle-G, World’s Largest Selling Biscuit.

CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE
The name, Parle, conjures up fond memories across the country. After all, since 1929, the people of India have grown up on Parle biscuits & sweets. Today, the Parle brands have found their way into the hearts and homes of people all over the world. Parle Biscuits and Confectioneries continue to spread happiness & joy among people of all ages. The consumer is the focus of all activities at Parle. Maximiz-ing value to consumers and forging enduring customer relationships are the core endeavors at Parle. Their efforts are driven towards maximizing customer satisfaction and this is in synergy with their quality pledge.
“Parle Products Limited will strive to provide consistently nutritious & quality food products to meet consumers’ satisfaction by using quality materials and by adopting appropriate processes. To facilitate the above we will strive to continuously train our employees and to provide them an open and participative environment.”