ITC’s Sunfeast takes on popular Bangladeshi potato biscuit brand

ITC Ltd's Sunfeast biscuit brand has rolled out a potato biscuit in India, after a similar Bangladeshi snacking brand Pran Potata Spicy Biscuit, became widely popular on social media platforms in the country.

The Kolkata-headquartered company said Sunfeast All Rounder is one of the thinnest biscuits ever manufactured in India. This is set to increase competition in the Rs6,000 crore (~800 million USD) cracker biscuits category. In-home snacking has benefited several large companies as more consumers spend longer hours at home and nibble on snacks.

Pran’s potato biscuits have gained immense popularity among urban Indians, recently, who have taken to social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram to share posts of the biscuit brand. The product is available online on Amazon in India.

While Pran's products have been retailing in India, largely in the north-east and West Bengal, for over a decade, its potato biscuit brand has found a wider distribution pan-India as part of a larger sales push by the company, Mint reported earlier.

Meanwhile, ITC that sells various snacking brands such as Bingo! chips and Yippee! noodles said consumer insights reveal that homemakers and category consumers are instinctively drawn to tangy and masala flavours to snack on.

ITC Limited:
 

"Hence, cracker biscuits enjoy a preference amongst this consumer segment for everyday consumption."

ITC’s biscuit portfolio rivals that of Britannia Ltd., with brands such as Dark Fantasy, Farmlite Nuts and Veda Digestive etc. The brand’s latest potato biscuits will be available first in south India, West Bengal and markets in north-eastern states. These will be made available through ITCstore.in, general trade outlets and modern trade stores.

Crackers constitute a large segment within the biscuits category, said Ali Harris Shere, chief operating officer, biscuits and cakes cluster, foods division, ITC Limited.

Ali Harris Shere:
 

"Sunfeast All Rounder aims to offer consumers a differentiated premium offering in a cracker format. With crackers constituting a large segment in the biscuits category, we believe it is an opportune time to further strengthen our portfolio and provide consumers with trendsetting and delightful offerings."

"With the launch of Sunfeast All Rounder, we want to re-define the consumer experience within biscuits & particularly the cracker segment."