G-means- the true taste of India

India is a big country- both by size and by population. Another fact is the vast diversity in terms of people and cultures that are found in India. Every region has their own food and ways and means to cook the same; resulting in a very typical taste. This would just elaborate how difficult it is to have anything single food product that can appeal to the entire Indian palette. Something which can be found in every nook and corner of the country, affordable to every Indian, nutritious and can be rated as the safest food possible.

Humko pata hai G; Sabko pata hai G- it is the modest pack of Parle-G biscuits

In case not known that Parle-G is the single largest selling biscuit in the world by volume. In 2013, Parle-G became India's first domestic FMCG brand to cross the INR 5,000 crore in retail sales. While India is the biggest market for biscuits in the world with 22% of the consumption pie; the United States comes a distant second at 13% with Mexico and China followed.  To put things in perspective, as per 2011 figures, the volume sales of for Parle-G outruns the total biscuit consumption volumes for China. How about that?

Biscuits are not a part of the traditional Indian food plate and have predominantly entered the Indian household by virtue of the British. Though we can say that some savouries like nankhatai or maska khari came into India by virtue of Mughal- Persian influence, tea time snack as a concept is so very English. Today, the cup may be having tea or coffee, but I doubt if anyone in India has yet enjoyed dipping in a Parle-G in it. The familiar package with yellow lines on white, the Parle G girl and Parle written in the red pentagon is possibly the first brand every child in India might recognise. 

It is impressive to know that Parle-G has been in production since 1939 from a factory at Vile Parle in Mumbai and not much seems to have changed since. The biscuit still rolls out from the same facility (along with a dozen more across the country) and almost entire area around the Parle East-West flyover and passing trains on the Western Railway are treated to its sweet aroma.

From the time I have known the biscuit, the only change I have seen is that the pack used to be of wax paper which has now changed to a plastic wrap. But as far as packaging is concerned, I have seen them being served from biscuit tins in my school, my PG roommate having a 800gms pack in the pantry, a `15 pack which is most popular with trekkers and small packs of `5 which is available in most retail and corporate canteen as a snack with tea. In fact, I have even seen a `1 pack with just 4 biscuits which a roadside tea stall offered.

I saw a small interview of Ajay Chauhan, the Executive Director of Parle Products Ltd on a BBC show called Made in India, and some of the things he mentioned about Parle-G which are so very true. This was not their first product and started almost 10 years after the company started. It was simple and packed with energy; the reason why during the WW II, all the Parle-G stock was diverted away from the domestic market to feed the Allied forces fighting across the globe.

Today, it is a mass product which finds it rightful place in the urban as well as rural markets; thanks to its affordable price. This is a conscious decision to ensure the value-for-money proposition never fails. By virtue of more plants to reduce transport costs, operational efficiency and waste reduction, the company ensured the price was constant for almost 10 years. So etched is the brand in the minds of people that it is not unusual that after anyone donates blood; he is first greeted with a beverage and a few Parle-G biscuits as an SOS nutrition replenishment.

Today, the market has many glucose biscuits like Priya Gold, Britannia Tiger, ITC etc. but none have managed to reach the iconic status of Parle-G. In my living memory, the competition has used celebrity endorsements ranging from actors to cricketers to push their sales; but have seen only four sparingly used, campaigns from Parle-G. While one featured Parle-G as the choice of the biscuit for the young and the old, one featured Mukesh Khanna aka Shaktiman. A feature led ad was when the wax packaging changed to plastic wraps which kept moisture away. The last seen was the ‘G- means Genius’ campaign. Even without heavy advertising, 400 Mn Parle-G biscuits are made every day and sold across 6 Mn outlets in various packaging.

While Parle-G is an endearing sight for Indian expat population each time they visit an Indian store in their vicinity, it has appealed even to non-Indians. I had a reference shared of a Japanese businessman carrying a whole bag of Parle-G back home just because it was one of the memories he had working on-site at a project while in India. In the US, a 418 gms pack is sold at 99 cents while a 80 gms snack pack for as low as 15 cents.

Parle-G is truly an iconic brand from India, which has won numerous awards globally for its quality and taste. In my opinion, biscuits many not be of Indian origins; but Parle-G rightfully is the ‘taste of India’ unlike any other.