‘Diet’ Pulse? Seriously?

Pulse Zero claims to be the same kaccha aam flavoured candy – but without salt or sugar...

For most people, when they consume candy, they’re hit by a wave of nostalgia – memories of a carefree time. DS Group’s Pulse candy has changed that equation – their hard boiled candy offering – Pulse Candy is majorly consumed by adults. DS Group is the marketer for brands such as Rajnigandha (Pan Masala) and Catch (spices), and in 2015, they entered the candy segment with the launch of their hard boiled candy ‘Pulse.’ The candy was well received and within a couple of years of its launch, the sales turnover was worth Rs 300 crore. In an article written in March, we had talked about the candy segment and now, Pulse is creating a new segment within hard boiled candy with the introduction of their offering – Pulse Zero.

The candies claim to be sugar-free and without salt, making it a healthy alternative to the competitors available on the market. While regular pulse candy is available for 1 rupee per piece, the The sugar-free variant is priced at 2 rupees. The tastes of the two products are similar, with the most remarkable difference between the two being the intensity of the flavour.

Another article that afaqs! ran in 2018 made a mention of Pulse Zero, but the shopkeeper we spoke to, said the candy was stocked from the 1st of May onwards. A Times of India article reported Mayank Shah, category head at Parle products as saying "Although India is often branded as the diabetic capital of the world, it is not people who suffer from diabetes that reach out for sugarless products. It's healthy consumers who are concerned about wellness. The candy segment will soon witness a surge of such products."

Pulse is currently sold at 'paan' outlets and Kirana stores but the diet variant will be sold through modern retail, chemists and online channels, mentioned the report.

Hard boiled candy’s popularity goes way back. In India, the first packaged hard-boiled candy, famous in the 1990s was called ‘Googly.’ Soon after, with the increasing popularity of mango flavoured candy, Parle launched Kaccha Mango Bite in 20014 and ITC launched Candyman Natkhat Mango with an ad campaign in 2013.