Hard-boiled candies costing around Re. 1 or even less are popular both with the children as well as adults. These candies are widely distributed through grocery stores and other small retail outlets.
Pulse candy was launched by Dharmpal Satyapal in kachcha aam or raw mango flavour a decade ago. Within a year of its launch, it became a Rs.100 crore brand. Last year ending in March 2025, it became a Rs.750 crore brand. It is growing at the rate of 15 per cent (against the industry average of 9 per cent). DS has a share of 19 per cent in the Rs.4000-crore hard-boiled candy market. Pulse brand is likely to reach the 1000-crore mark in a couple of years from now.
The competing brand Alpen Liebe has advertising and marketing muscle, but pulse does not. It focuses more on product innovation and consumer experience. Pulse did some clever packaging. It grew despite no marketing push and has become a case study at IIMA.
It bets on bold Indian flavours. The market is replete with sweeter Western flavours. It expanded the market from kids to adults. It finds flavours that appeal to adults. Its major revenue is derived from adults. Its growth is organic. The brand is an outlier. There was raw mango flavor in the market prior to Pulse. But it was launched as a combination of sweet and salt, mimicking raw mango that most of us savoured in childhood. There is salt in the center, which refines the candy experience. It has become its best-selling candy. It introduced other flavours also such as litchi, orange, guava, and pineapple. Pulse has also launched tamarind flavor that makes Indians nostalgic about their childhood.
Pulse is an indulgence at a modest price. It has remained non-preachy. It relies on buzz word and school-yard gossip. Its signature is its masala core. It could explore more extensions, say lollipops and chews.
Its competing products are Perfetti Van Melle’s Alpen Liebe, ITC Candyman, Parle Products Toffees and Ravalgaon. Perfetti is the largest competitor which earned a revenue of Rs.3500 crore. DS brand Pulse is around Rs.1000 crore, and the company wants it to reach Rs.5000 crore by 2029.
Though initially marketing was not the focus, the marketing spend has now reached 6-8 per cent of the annual revenue, on par with industry norm. Below-the-line promotion and distribution matter more in confectionery industry. Sampling and influencers have worked in favour of Pulse. It reaches 35 lac outlets in the country.
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