Mondelez India, the market leader in the ₹7,500-crore chocolate market in India, announced the launch of its new brand Cadbury Fuse, a premium offering in the company’s countline category which includes 5 Star, Perk and the recently launched Marvellous Creations.

Fuse will compete head on with Snickers, a popular peanut and chocolate bar from Mars Inc and the more recently launched Munch Nuts peanut and chocolate bar from Nestle.

Describing Cadbury Fuse as a fusion of crunchy peanuts, smooth caramel with a creamy centre, all coated in rich Cadbury milk chocolate, Prashant Peres, Director – Marketing (Chocolates), Mondelez India, said: “The launch of Fuse, will mark our journey of premiumisation in the countline space. “Globally, the impulse purchase countline market is 9 times the size of impulse tablets market. Our Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk revolutionised tablets which is defined for “For Us” need state. With a growing consumer trend of individualistic consumption and indulgence, we are now ready with a mix that will change the countline category in the “For Me” need state.”

Extrusion technology Fuse has been developed by the company’s global teams based on deep insights on the changing needs of the Indian consumer, made using extrusion technology, a first in India, according to Peres. Extrusion is a process by which a set of mixed ingredients are forced through an opening in a perforated plate or die with a design specific to the food and is then cut to a specified size by blades. The company’s recent successes in India include the first centre-filled chocolate, the Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk Caramello and the first aerated chocolate, the Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk Bubbly.

Priced at ₹20 for a 25-gm bar and ₹35 for a 45-gm bar, Fuse is available for sale on Snapdeal, followed by 100,000 traditional trade and modern trade stores in three months.

Fuse was first launched in the UK in 1996 and discontinued a decade ago.

However, Peres said, while the name Fuse existed in the company’s product portfolio some time ago, the Fuse launched today is not the same product, but a new chocolate made with extrusion technology.

He said, the name Fuse came up from consumer feedback during trials, that it is a great fusion of tastes and textures.

The chocolate + peanut segment constitutes less than 2 per cent of the overall chocolate market. Mondelez India has 65 per cent share of the chocolate market, that is growing at 9 per cent YoY.

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