Parle G: A Brief History Of India’s Favourite Biscuit

By Ruchika Verma

• Parle g is one of the most popular biscuits of India
• It was made to make biscuits available to common people of India
• Parle g is still one of India's number 1 biscuit brand

Every Indian has tasted the Parle g biscuits, even if it is just once. And they have all loved its taste. No matter how you eat it, plain, with tea, coffee, milk or even water, Parle g biscuits, in which g stands for genius, are loved by all.

They can be called the staple biscuits of India, especially with tea. You will find them in almost all the households in India. They are nutritious and tasty. And they are famous for the Parle g girl whose face has been associated with these biscuits for as long as one can remember.

But do you know how these favourite biscuits of India came into being?

Parle g – The beginning of an endless era

In 1929, Mohanlal Dayal Chauhan, who was a trader of silk, based in Mumbai, bought an old factory to manufacture confectionery, such as boiled sweets.

He was highly inspired by the Swadeshi movement, which promoted the production and use of Indian goods. Chauhan sailed to Germany to learn the art of 'confectionery-making'. He returned in 1929, with required skills and high-tech machinery.

Chauhan's small factory was situated between the villages, Irla and Parla, and employed just 12 men with the Chauhan family themselves serving multiple roles like engineers, managers, and confectionery makers. The work at the factory used to be so hectic, that it is believed that founders forgot to name it. And with it time, it came to be known as Parle.

Parle's first product was an orange candy then they started making other confectioneries and toffees. It was only 10 years later that the biscuit making operation began in 1939.

Back then, biscuits were only for elite classes, as they were mostly imported and expensive. To counter this trend, Parle launched 'Parle Gluco' which was an affordable biscuit meant for the consumption of common people. Since it was made in India, it was cheap and accessible. Made in India, meant for Indian palates and accessible. It became quickly became very popular among Indians. It also became the British-Indian army's go-to biscuits during the World War II.

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However, due to severe shortage of wheat in 1947, due to partition, production of Parle Gluco biscuits had to stop for a while. At that time, Parle requested people to consume the biscuits made of barley, for they were just as healthy.

How Parle Gluco came to be known as Parle g

In 1960, Parle Company came face to face with the other competitors in the market. Many other companies began launching their own glucose biscuits. like, Britannia launched its first glucose biscuit named Glucose D.

The similar names confused many people and the sales got divided. The Parle company decided to change its packaging to differentiate itself from the others. The new packaging is what we see today. A white and yellow striped plastic packet with the red Parle logo, and the photo of the famous Parle girl on it.

Although the new packaging appealed to children and their mothers, it still didn't appeal to the mass. So, Parle decided to change the name of their biscuits to Parle g.

And unlike, what advertisements may make us believe, the 'g' in Parle g stands for gluco or glucose and not genius. Shocking, right?

Parle g also changed their packaging to low-cost printed plastic, to avoid duplication by other companies. It that time, Parle released the tagline "Often imitated, never equalled" which has to be the cheekiest tagline ever.

Parle g Now

Parle g has run brilliant advertising campaigns throughout the years. Their taglines have changed, yet their essence remains the same. Parle with time has also ventured into philanthropist efforts, helping various children across the nation achieve their dreams.

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Even today, Parle company and Parle g are a favourite of Indians and the parle g girl, the cutest brand ambassador. Parle g is the only brand of biscuit that is available even to the places where no other biscuit is available. Maybe, the effort by Parle company is what makes this biscuit so special and popular.