If you are one of the ’80s and 90’s kids who grew up in India, it is impossible that you have not heard or seen the “Mango Frooti, Fresh and Juicy” jingle commercial. Sipping mango juice out of the iconic green rectangular Tetra Pak of frooti is one of the sweetest memories of most of our childhood.
Today, we are going to read more about the brand which has made Frooti a household name.
Known for a range of edible consumer products like Frooti, Appy Fizz that have been enjoyed not only in India but globally, today Parle Agro happens to be one of the most trusted brands for the consumers in the FMCG space.
History, Early Days and Disputes with the Sibling Company:
Parle Agro is an Offshoot of Parle Products. Founded in 1929, Parle Products was owned by the Chauhan family of Vile Parle, Mumbai and was split into three separate companies – Parle Agro, Parle Bisleri and Parle Products.
The original Parle company was split into three separate companies, owned by the different factions of the original Chauhan family, with a majority of it owned by Parle Agro products.
- Parle Products (the 1950s), led by Vijay, Sharad and Raj Chauhan (owner of the brands Parle-G, 20-20, Magix, Milkshakti, Melody, Mango Bite, Poppins, Londonderry, Kismi toffee bar, Monaco and KrackJack)
- Parle Agro (1960s), led by Prakash Chauhan and his daughters Schauna, Alisha and Nadia (owner of the brands such as Frooti and Appy)
- Parle Bisleri (the 1970s), led by Ramesh Chauhan
Each of these was owned by different factions of the original Chauhan family. Parle Agro started operations in 1984 with Prakash Chauhan at the helm and his daughters who are part of the business too.
All three companies continue to use the family trademark name “Parle”. The original Parle group was amicably segregated into three non-competing businesses.
But a dispute over the use of “Parle” brand arose, when Parle Agro diversified into the confectionery business, thus becoming a competitor to Parle Products. In February 2008, Parle Products sued Parle Agro for using the brand Parle for competing for confectionery products.
Later, Parle Agro launched its confectionery products under a new design which did not include the Parle brand name In 2009, the Bombay High Court ruled that Parle Agro can sell its confectionery brands under the brand name “Parle” or “Parle Confi” on condition that it clearly specifies that its products belong to a separate company, which has no relationship with Parle Products.
Growth Story of Parle Agro and the Force, Nadia Chauhan
Today, the group has diversified into areas like confectionery, pure fruit juices, and baked snacks, and has rapidly expanded its global presence with spread across to over 20 countries.
In 2018, Its flagship brand Frooti grossed a total of Rs 2,200 crore. Its apple beverage, Appy is at around Rs 700 crore in sales. Frooti has been growing at 25 percent and the company aims to double this in the next two-three years from Rs 2,200 crore.
Being a market leader, Parle Agro has become synonymous with Being First. Some of the first are Frooti in Tetra pack, The Launch of Apple Nectar, Appy and Introducing Appy Fizz, a sparkling Apple Juice
Beyond Frooti – Exploring New Categories
Parle Agro is planning to enter new categories and ramp up the sales and distribution network for its existing products to achieve its target of clocking Rs 10,000 crore topline by 2022.
Nadia Chauhan, the bold and beautiful CMO of Parle Agro, plans to expand the distribution footprint and drive sales with innovative packaging, differentiated SKUs and aggressive pricing for Appy Fizz.
Parle Agro dominates the sparkling fruit juices category with its Rs 700 crore brand Appy Fizz, which it targets to be a Rs. 1,000-crore brand by 2020. Appy Fizz is one of the fastest growing brands in its portfolio, clipping at 50 percent.
Parle Agro also has 12 beverages manufacturing facilities and 56 bottling plants for water brand Bailley.
Parle Agro Pvt. Ltd operates under three major business verticals:
- Beverages – fruit drinks, nectars, juice, sparkling drinks
- Water – packaged drinking water
- Foods – confectionery, snacks
Its money spinner business is Beverages which contributes 79% of the turnover which is sold through a network of 12 lakh outlets across the country.
