MUMBAI: Parle Products’ Melody toffee is flying off shelves and is becoming stock out on quick commerce platforms as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted the product to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday.
“Across India we are seeing a huge demand and we have instructed distributors to push stocks of the product,” said Mayank Shah, vice-president at Parle Products.
The caramel-and-chocolate candy found itself at the centre of a diplomatic exchange on Wednesday after PM Modi gifted a packet to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his visit to Italy. The gesture neatly played into the internet’s long-running fascination with the chemistry between the two leaders, affectionately dubbed “Melodi” online—a mashup of their surnames that has spawned countless memes and social media posts in India.
For Parle Products, the moment translated into an unexpected burst of attention. “Parle Melody is India's largest selling toffee brand and is today available in over 100 countries,” Shah said. The company has also been asked to ramp up production of the toffee, though no further details were shared.
Inside trade circles, the ripple effects were almost immediate. Melody has long been among Parle’s fastest-moving products, according to a former senior executive associated with the company, but demand has now picked up even further as curious consumers and social media users rush to buy the same candy gifted on the world stage.
Stock up in an unrelated space
The episode has also revived interest in the broader Parle universe. Based in Mumbai, Parle Products is one of India’s oldest homegrown FMCG companies, with brands such as Parle-G, Monaco, Hide & Seek, and Mango Bite in its portfolio. The company itself is privately held and not listed on the stock market.
That did not stop retail investors from reacting.
Shares of Parle Industries hit the 5% upper circuit on Wednesday, despite the company having no connection to Parle Products. The listed entity, which has a market capitalisation of roughly ₹25 crore, operates in infrastructure and real estate development and is also involved in paper trading and recycling-related businesses.
The frenzy reflects a broader phenomenon increasingly visible in consumer markets worldwide: the ability of a casual public appearance to move both products and stocks. In late 2025, for instance, photos of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang dining at a Korean fried chicken restaurant triggered a sharp rally in South Korean fried-chicken and poultry-linked stocks, with some shares jumping 20–30% intraday.
Ironically, all of this comes at a time when brands themselves are becoming more cautious about celebrity-led marketing. Data from TAM AdEx’s 2025 television advertising recap showed Indian FMCG companies pulling back on expensive celebrity endorsement deals as marketers questioned whether the impact justified rising costs. Brands have been shifting toward influencers and digital-first campaigns instead.
