Indian subsidiary Hershey India Private Ltd will start introducing the North American sweets brand with Jolly Rancher Lollipops.
Tailored for Indian consumers
“The lollipops offer a long lasting fruit-like taste experience that is distinct from the typical lollipop currently available in India,” Hershey claimed in a statement.
Atul Razdan, general manager, marketing, sweets and refreshments, for Hershey India added: “We’ve tailored our new Jolly Rancher products for India to appeal, specifically, to local palates with bold, fruity flavors that are unlike any other candy available in the market.”
Lollipops in three flavors
Indian Jolly Rancher Lollipops will come in three flavors: Green Apple, Watermelon and Mango. The mango variety was developed specifically for Indian consumers. The lollipops will retail at Rs. 5 ($0.08).
The company will produce the brand at its Chittoor plant in India – which is in the same state where Mondelez recently announced it would construct a $190m chocolate plant that will become India’s largest when it becomes operational in 2015.
Indian confectionery market
Hershey said that the Indian confectionery market was one of the fastest growing in the world with an 18% annual compound growth rate (CAGR).
India is the world’s sixth largest producer of sugar confectionery at 275,000 metric tons in 2011/12, according to Leatherhead Food Research.
Hershey exited its Indian joint venture with domestic firm Godrej last year after a five-year partnership and decided to approach the market alone.
An analyst at Mintel described confectionery in India, particularly chocolate, as an “alien concept” to many consumers but said that many large international retailers such as Tesco and Walmart were considering expansion, which would change the landscape dramatically.