Parle Shuts Down Iconic Biscuit Factory In Mumbai's Vile Parle After 87 Years

You must be missing the whiff of baked biscuits that used to waft through the air as your train crossed Vile Parle station. The ubiquitous Parle-G biscuits, the largest selling biscuit brand in the world, aren't being rolled out from the Vile Parle plant following the decision by the owners - the Vijay Chauhan family - to shut the unit after nearly 90 years.

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"Production at the time of closure was negligible. It didn't make commercial sense to keep it running," said Arup Chauhan, Parle Products executive director.

The Rs 10,000-crore Parle Products, which has manufacturing units across India that make Parle-G and other biscuit and candy brands, halted production at the local factory two months ago following a reduction in production capacity over the last few years. At the time of the shutdown of the Parle plant, which at its peak produced the largest volume of biscuits, there were around 300 workers, who have all taken VRS. Chauhan described the VRS process as "smooth".

Spread across about 10 acres, the factory houses Parle Products' HQ. Although Chauhan did not divulge details, the closely held Parle Products, named after the western suburb, is likely to retain the land, which sits on a prime location amid a host of residential complexes, for development. According to realty experts, the going rate for residences in Vile Parle is between Rs 25,000 and Rs 28,000 a square foot.

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Set up in 1929, the Vile Parle factory used to first manufacture just candies. Sugarboiled candies initially came in glass jars and later wrapped in translucent plastic wrappers and were sold across `kirana' stores under the Parle brand.

The factory began biscuit production in 1939. Parle Products is the largest biscuit maker and among the leading food players in the country. It competes with rivals like Britannia Industries and ITC. According to the company's website, Parle Products has a 40% share of the total biscuit market and a 15% share of the total confectionery market in India.

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Other popular brands of biscuits under Parle include Monaco, Hide & Seek, KrackJack and Milano. Among sweets, Mango Bite and Melody are the popular candies. Given the changing consumption patterns, Parle has forayed into wafers and `namkeen' manufacturing.

The Vile Parle unit has often thrown open its doors to neighbouring schoolchildren to help them learn about biscuit and candy-making processes. This was long before KidZania, an edutainment theme park for children, came calling in Ghatkopar.