Mars Wrigley Chocolate Factory in Khed, Pune
Inside the Mars Wrigley Factory, the air is thick with the heady aroma of peanuts, cocoa and sugar. The plant in Khed, Pune manufactures the American brand’s signature offerings, Galaxy and Snickers candy bars. After a thorough scrub and sanitisation, we step onto the floor of uni, where staff in white uniforms closely monitor thousands of chocolate bars moving synchronously on long conveyor belts.
We head to the start of the Galaxy production line where the mixture of sugar, cocoa butter and cocoa mass is fed into a mechanical mixer. On a belt, specially designed silicone trays are stacked. A smooth stream of hot dark chocolate flows through multiple nozzles to fill these molds one by one. This sight is soothing like a symphony amidst the cacophony of machines.
look | How chocolate is made at Pune’s Mars Wrigley factory
snap and fold
Experts say that the first marker of a good quality candy bar is the sharp snap we hear when it breaks. To achieve this, chocolate-filled molds pass through a vibrating chamber that removes air bubbles and sets the chocolate evenly. It then passes through a cooling chamber before the molds are wrapped, sealed and packaged, rotating to release the Galaxy Bar. Up until this step, chocolate making is a zero-contact process.
Galaxy Fusion 70% Dark Chocolate
Launching in February 2023, Galaxy Fusion 70% Dark Chocolate is the latest product from Mars Wrigley. It has an intense bitter-sweet chocolate flavor with a smooth finish.
heat resistant candy
Apart from the chocolate factory in Khed, the enterprise has two gum and mint factories – one each in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh and Bengaluru. It claims that every factory site in India is in varying stages of becoming carbon neutral and water balanced.
The factory began manufacturing Galaxy bars for the Indian market in October 2021 and has been making Snickers since 2016. Both, the made-in-India candy bars are specially made to withstand the country’s hot climate during distribution. Kalpesh Parmar, Country General Manager, Mars Wrigley India, says, “By making our chocolates heat-resistant, we provide our consumers with the ultimate chocolate eating experience and also make it easy for our distributors to transport them without depending on coolers Are.”
The chocolate company estimates that India’s ₹27,000-crore chocolate and confectionery market is expected to grow nine per cent annually through 2027, becoming one of the world’s largest snacking markets over the next decade.
Kalpesh Parmar, Country General Manager, oversees the Snickers production line
Creating these recipes in India also allowed the brand to experiment with flavours. We identify with Snickers as a candy bar filled with peanuts, caramel, and nougat. But apart from making heat-resistant and vegan chocolates for India, the company also brought out other nut variants like almond, cashew, fruit and walnut, and saffron-pistachio. They’ve now put berries into the mix. In February this year, they launched Snickers Berry Whip.
Galaxy Fusion Production Line
According to Mars Wrigley India, 80% of their ingredients are locally sourced. The fried peanuts used in the sneakers are sourced from Rajasthan. R&D manager Vishal Joshi says the company worked closely with farmers to cultivate the right variety that best suits the recipe they use.
The author was in Pune at the invitation of Mars Wrigley India