The candyman cometh

CHENNAI'S LOVE for candies is as old as its confectionery creators. And going by the trends, the habit has come to stay.

Here are some facts for consumption. The city happens to be one of the largest consumers of candies in the country and the largest in the whole of the South. Candies have traditionally been a hit in Tamil Nadu. But however, in terms of per capita consumption, it ranks second to Kerala.

Now, there is more news for caramel lovers. Yet another brand added to the available range. Joyco India has come out with its latest hard-boiled milky caramel flavoured `Solano', an adaptation of the 170-year old Spanish brand.

The company executives are hoping more people will take to sweets.

Says Arun Hedge, Managing Director, Joyco India, ``it has been tailor-made to suit Indian taste buds with extra milk and extra fat. In fact, the ingredients can help children who are finicky with food.''

While the company acknowledged most of the credit to the retailers, they say that no push-selling strategy was necessary for selling candies in the city.

At least 70 per cent of the consumers are children who usually fall for the visibility and marketing gimmicks.

Special dispensers for enhancing shelf image and visibility have been designed for Solano to catch this young market. Even grown ups get hooked to it.

Attempting to dispel some commonplace fears, Mr. Hegde says that candies are not harmful to the teeth if they are had ``with a little caution. Every person should brush their teeth later on.''

The promotional aspects for Solano have not yet been thought of but the company will be spending at least Rs. seven crores towards advertisements during the second half of this year. Appears quite lavish, but bear in mind that the market is of the size of Rs. 250 crores.

Tailpiece: Seen on the walls of a dental clinic in South Chennai - Don't greet people with sweets, greet them with fruits. Hopefully, Joyco will be giving out cute toothbrushes and fruity toothpaste for the youngsters who load themselves with its candies.

By Saptarshi Bhattacharya

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