Some brands become iconic and are synonymous with the items they produce and Parle-G is one such renowned brand as it is one of the world’s largest biscuit brands. The company was founded nearly 100 years ago.
It all began in the early 1900s when a 12-year-old boy named Mohanlal Chauhan shifted to Mumbai from a small town near Valsad in South Gujarat. When he began to work, Mohanlal learnt sewing quickly. He was only 18 when he started a store in Gamdevi, Mumbai. This gave him some financial stability and he established two independent businesses, D Mohanlal and Co. and Chhiba Durlabh.
Thereafter, Mohanlal taught his five sons to handle the business and then his sons decided to shut down their tailor shop during World War 1 and start a confectionary company.
Then, the Parle Group was established. Later, Mohanlal Chauhan launched German technology to India by importing machines, using Rs 60,000 of his savings. After India's Independence from colonial rule, Mohanlal’s Parle G thrived as it became the cheaper, Indian-made alternative to British snacks.
Subsequently, Parle Products competed with Coca-Cola by producing soft drinks like Thums Up, Gold Spot, Limca, and Frooti, all of which became popular in India. Parle-G is also the first FMCG company in India to cross Rs 5000 crore in retail sales in a single year in 2012. The Parle G biscuits were also named the best-selling biscuit in the world by a Neilson report in 2011.
Currently, Vijay Chauhan is leading the company and the revenue of Parle Products is now over USD 2 billion mark or Rs 17000 crore. The net worth of Vijay Chauhan and his family is now USD 5.5 billion, which is a staggering Rs 45,238 crore.
