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History

Parle Products was established as a confectionery maker in the Vile Parle suburb of Mumbai, in 1929. It 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 earlier called 'Parle lelo' Biscuits until the 1980s. The "G" in the name Parle-G originally stood for "Glucose", though a later brand slogan also stated "G for Genius".

In 2013, Parle- G became India's first FMCG brand to cross the ₹ 5,000 crore 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 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.

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 80 gram "snack pack" is sold for as low as 15 cents (5 INR) at Indian grocers, and 40 cents at major retailers. By 2016, smaller 56.4 gram packs were being sold as eight for one dollar at Indian grocers in the United States.