Dada is the Dutch company that brought Vanaspati ghee into India in the 1930s as an affordable substitute for desi ghee which is comparatively cheaper.The product was a symbol of purity and claimed to be a cooking medium that makes the food more delicious and enhances its taste.
Introduction
Try asking your grandparents about the yellow cane with green palm tree printed on it, they would hardly take a minute to answer, “Dalda”? That was the monopoly of Dalda during the ‘90s in India.
The England brand Dada, founded by Lever Brothers, knew there was a potential market for a substitute cheaper than ghee as every family can’t afford it. If England’s Brothers were not insisted to insert L in the name, then perhaps, one of India’s monopoly Vanaspati ghee would have been recognised as Dada.
Entry and Initial Journey in India
Dada is the Dutch company that brought Vanaspati ghee into India in the 1930s as an affordable substitute for desi ghee which is comparatively cheaper. Hydrogenated vegetable oil was introduced by the Dutch brother which later becomes highly successful.
Gradually, when the sales were shooting up, the Lever brothers incorporated a company called Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing Company today known as Hindustan Unilever Ltd for producing vanaspati ghee in India. A factory was established in Sewri, today’s Greater Mumbai, and finally, Dalda was introduced in the Indian market to officially sell in 1937.
Developing the idea of Affordable Tasty Alternative
The vision of the company was to project Dalda as a cheaper alternative to ghee yet tasty. The strategy paid off soon. Striking the main issue in almost every household has made the Dalda a big hit in India. People were convinced with their beliefs that Dalda would provide the same taste as ghee without compromising on the purity yet cheaper in price.
The brand was a complete monopoly till the 1980s. Although in between Dalda got trapped into various controversies. In the 1950s, there was an opinion spreading among the general masses to ban the product as it is false ghee- An adulteration of desi ghee which is harmful to health. A nationwide personality, then prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, called for an opinion poll. A committee was appointed to bring up the solutions for preventing the adulteration of ghee but sadly no solutions were suggested. The news faded up with time but again in the 1990s, Dalda was alleged that it contained ‘animal’ fat.
Rise in Competition
By this time, people started getting aware of the harm by the trans-fats in hydrogenated oils, majorly because it increases bad cholesterol and reduces good cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart attacks.
In the meanwhile, clean, cheaper and healthier edible oils were launched in the market. Vegetable oils like groundnut oil, sunflower oil, palm oil and mustard oil started getting the attention of the general masses and started snatching the Dalda’s share.
The brand changed the lifestyle of people’s eating during that time and was bought by Bunge Ltd.- A global agribusiness major, in 2003. It captured the Dalda brand. Although the market of the product has shrunken at a large scale, Bunge didn’t give up and worked upon it according to the changing preferences and cooking patterns.
Introducing New Alternatives
Bunge introduced a range of edible oils as a new launch in the highly competitive market.
The packaging has also been improvised citing ingredients and nutritional value of the oil on the package.
Recently, an interesting initiative to interact with the public- ‘Dial d: Unbox the Tiffin’ was launched to encourage people to submit recipes, get them voted on and win prizes. The edible oil range includes refined soya bean oil, mustard oil, refined sunflower oil and kachi ghani mustard oil.
In 2015, during the holy annual Jagannath Yatra came up with a unique ‘Out of Home’ campaign Titled Bhajan se bhojan tak. The campaign was successful and Dalda felt its presence during that time. But with time, Dalda has lost the monopoly and popularity that it had gripped upon at a time.
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