Parle-G is a brand of
biscuit
A biscuit is a flour-based baked food item. Biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be savoury, similar to crackers.
...
s manufactured by
Parle Products
Parle Products is an Indian multinational food corporation, which makes biscuits and confectionery products. It is best known for the biscuit brand Parle-G, which is the best-selling biscuit brand in the world, according to a 2011 Nielsen re ...
in India. A 2011
Nielsen survey reported that it is the best-selling brand of biscuits in the world.
History
Parle Products
Parle Products is an Indian multinational food corporation, which makes biscuits and confectionery products. It is best known for the biscuit brand Parle-G, which is the best-selling biscuit brand in the world, according to a 2011 Nielsen re ...
was established as a confectionery maker in the
Vile Parle
Vile Parle (, also known as Parla), is a suburb and also the name of the railway station in the Western suburb of Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state o ...
suburb of
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
, in 1929. Parle Products began manufacturing biscuits in 1939. In 1947, when India became independent, the company launched an ad campaign showcasing its Gluco brand of biscuits as an Indian alternative to British-branded biscuits.

Parle-G biscuits were called Parle Gluco Biscuits until the 1980s. The "G" in the name Parle-G originally stood for "
Glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae d ...
", though a later brand slogan also stated "G for Genius".
In 2013, Parle-G became India's first
fast-moving consumer goods
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG) or convenience goods, are products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost. Examples include non-durable household goods such as packaged foods, beve ...
brand to cross the 50
billion
Billion is a word for a large number, and it has two distinct definitions:
* 1,000,000,000, i.e. one thousand million, or (ten to the ninth power), as defined on the short scale. This is now the most common sense of the word in all varieties of ...
mark in retail sales.
Popularity
Primarily eaten as a tea-time snack, Parle-G is one of the oldest brand names in India. For decades, the product was instantly recognized by its iconic white and Yellow
wax paper
Waxed paper (also wax paper, waxpaper, or paraffin paper) is paper that has been made moisture-proof and grease-proof through the application of wax.
The practice of oiling parchment or paper in order to make it semi-translucent or moisture-pr ...
wrapper. The wrapper features a young girl
(an illustration by Everest creative Maganlal Daiya back in the 1960s).
Parle-G has recently become available in plastic wrapping. The modern packaging retains its traditional design. The change in materials was promoted with advertisements showing a Parle-G packet placed into a fish tank. In 2011, Nielsen, a market research company, published a report stating that Parle-G has consolidated its position as the world’s largest selling biscuit brand. In fact, Parle G has topped other leading brands such as
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Group, Inc. was an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate (company), conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. on October 1, 2012, and was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz on July ...
’s
Oreo
Oreo (; stylized in all caps) is an American brand of sandwich cookie consisting of two cocoa biscuits with a sweet fondant filling. Oreos were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco, and the brand has been owned by Mondelez International since its me ...
, Mexico’s
Gamesa
Gamesa (formerly Galletera Mexicana S.A. de C.V. "Mexican Biscuit Company")(also Grupo Gamesa) is Mexico's largest manufacturer of cookies. The company also makes flour, ready to eat cereals and other related products. It is headquartered in Sa ...
and
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
’s private labels. Key factor to the success is that India is the world’s leading market for biscuits, moving past some of the biggest markets in the world – the US, Mexico, China, Italy and Spain.
As of January 2013, Parle-G's strong distribution network covered over 6 million retail stores in India. The Brand Trust Report ranked Parle-G as the 42nd most trusted brand of India in 2014.
The low price is another important factor in Parle-G's popularity. Outside India, it is sold for 99 cents for a 418 gram pack as of 2012. A more common 65-gram "snack pack" is sold for as low as ₹3 (4 cents USD) at grocers in India, and 40 cents at major retailers of Indian groceries in USA. Packs containing two Parle-G biscuits are also sold.
[10 Unknown Facts About Parle-G, The Largest Selling Biscuit Brand In The World](_blank)
by Postoast. Jan 14, 2019 - Uploaded by Doordarshan National Blog. By 2016, smaller 56.4-gram packs were being sold as eight for one dollar at Indian grocers in the United States. The first TV commercial for Parle-G was made in 1982. The Indian superhero
Shaktimaan
''Shaktimaan'' is an Indian Hindi-language superhero television series created and produced by Mukesh Khanna. It aired on DD National from 13 September 1997 to 27 March 2005. Khanna starred as the titular superhero, who gains superhuman abilit ...
also endorsed the brand in the 1990s.
See also
*
Mangharam Biscuit
J. B. Mangharam & Company was a maker of biscuits in India. It was founded in 1919. It was named after three brothers Jeevan Das, Bal Chand and Mangha Ram Pamnani.Their factory in Sakkur also made candy and medicines. During the World War II, they ...
References
Further reading
"Parle-G: The journey of a biscuit for masses" ''
The Economic Times
''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. Owned by The Times Group, ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961 and it is sold in all major cities in India. As of 2012, it is the world's secon ...
''.
External links
* {{official website, http://www.parleproducts.com
Indian brands
Biscuit brands