Mondelez to Hershey, MNCs take a big bite of India's chocolate market

The world's top five chocolate companies - Mondelez, Mars, Ferrero, Nestle and now Hershey - are vying for a bigger slice of the domestic market

US-based The Hershey Company’s launch of its flagship chocolate brand Kisses in India last week has consolidated the hold of global players here. Hershey’s move, signalling its intent to deepen its presence here, comes at a time when the Rs 85-billion organised chocolate market in India is growing in double digits. 

After soft drinks, chocolate is the only organised category in food & beverages dominated by global majors, say experts. The world’s top five chocolate companies — Mondelez, Mars, Ferrero, Nestlé and now Hershey — are vying for a bigger slice of the domestic market. Mondelez, which manufactures the Cadbury brand