CBL exports biscuits to over 36 countries

by L.S.A. Wedaarachchi

Ceylon Biscuits Limited (CBL), exports a large quantity of biscuits to over thirty-six countries.

CBL's Indian biscuit factory, the third largest automated biscuit factory in India is managed by Sri Lankans.

Director Marketing and Sales of CBL Nandana Wickremage said that since their vision in the short term is to be the number one biscuit producer in South Asia, currently CBL is building a strong foundation in India.

"Compared to other countries our export market is getting stronger in India", he said. CBL hold about 57 per cent of the market share in the biscuit industry. Our strongest competitor holds about 20 per cent and hence we are quite stable in the local market, he said.

CBL entered biscuit production in 1968 producing a midday meal enriched in proteins to schoolchildren under a program of the government and CARE CBL, chairman Meneka Wickramasingha at that time introduced a formula of a biscuit which contained 13 per cent proteins.

CBL initiated to supply, those biscuits to schoolchildren more as a social service than a business enterprise. "Thriposha" which is now available throughout the country as a nourishment for children and adults was introduced thereafter by CBL's Deputy Chairman.

"Thereafter, we went into a lot of product development and during 1969 to 1970 we had an excess of the school supply once we had supplied the biscuits for the government.

Then we went into biscuit production to the local market and introduced the brand 'Munchee' to compete with all other brands in the market including a major brand which had already stabilised itself as a Sri Lankan biscuit producer, he said.

CBL won the 'people's choice within three decades, Wickremage said.

"We introduced new brands such as the 'short cake cookies' 'Savory Collection', 'Chocolate Puff and also 'Cream Crackers', 'Lemon Puff' and 'Marie'. these products are available in the international market.

But, we were able to effect changes like introducing a smaller version of the Marie and re-launched it as 'Tikiri Marie' which gave us a major breakthrough in the market.

Apart from that the internationally popular 'Lemon Puff' has always been in a yellow packing. we stepped out of the box and re-launched it by having more cream in it, making it crispier and producing it in a white packing.

We captured 70 per cent of the market share immediately. Another winning promotion was the Munchee cream crackers, which were known as products for the elderly and the sick but we made it a more crisply and trendy product.

We have been doing various innovations and we are today the market leader on account of these innovations. We followed the international biscuits such as Marie 'Lemon Puff' and 'Nice'. But in addition to those we launched the 'Tiffin', 'Chocolate Puff' and 'Savory Nuts', he said.

CBL achieved targets set for the Sri Lankan market and the Director Marketing said that as a marketer he is never going to be satisfied.

"Every time you have a target and you reach it you don't stay or hang on that achievement for too long. We widen our aims because there is more that we can achieve and more that we can offer the consumer. We are however, satisfied with our journey and we have really accelerated our progress in the past five to six years, he said.

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