View source for Sweets/ Candy: India

== 2017: the leading players==
[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Pulse-No-1-in-hard-boiled-candy-mkt-09062017021031  John Sarkar, Pulse No. 1 in hard-boiled candy mkt, June 9, 2017: The Times of India]
[[File: Candies, and their share in confectionary market, June 2017.jpg|Candies, and their share in confectionary market, June 2017; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Pulse-No-1-in-hard-boiled-candy-mkt-09062017021031  John Sarkar, Pulse No. 1 in hard-boiled candy mkt, June 9, 2017: The Times of India]|frame|500px]]

Pulse candy has become the biggest player in the hard-boiled candy (HBC) market, doubling its sales to Rs 326 crore in 2016-17 over the previous year, said three industry executives quoting Nielsen data.Pulse, a centre-filled sugar candy, is closely followed by Indonesian coffee-flavoured brand Kopiko at around Rs 306 crore.

This mirrors a trend of hard-boiled candies driving the Rs 8,500-crore ($1.3-billion) Indian confectionery market with other prominent categories such as eclairs and gums showing sluggish growth due to lack of innovation.

“Innovations, new launches of brands and variants are driving candies segment growth to a 15% level, almost double the rate at which confectionery category is growing at,“ said Sameer Shukla, executive director at Nielsen India. From being just a third of the of the overall confectionery market last year, HBCs currently account for nearly half of the total confectionery market, according to Nielsen.

Pulse, which had disrupted the traditional HBC market with its tangy taste and masala centre, was launched by the DS Group (maker of Pass Pass and Baba Elaichi) only two years ago. Its instant popularity spawned a line of me-too products, including Patanjali's Kick.“With Pulse, we managed to lure adult consumers,“ said Shashank Surana, VP , new product development at DS Group.

But despite introducing three flavours, including guava and pineapple, raw mango accounts for 80% of Pulse's sales at present. “The HBC segment has strong sub-categories such as lacto candies, cough lozenges and digestive candies,“ said Krishna Rao, category head at Parle Products.