An 80’s tag-line that meant chocolates I loved as a child and still do, even today…
Amul Chocolate – A gift for someone you love!

Cadbury’s was the one to beat, when it came to chocolates for a child growing up in the 80’s & 90’s. But my heart didn’t beat as quick for a bar of Dairy Milk – as it did for Amul Chocolate.  Their shape, the manageable size, the embossing on the individual pieces, silver foil packaging, the stiff-yet-bendy board cover – proved to be a better lure than what Cadbury’s used to serve up with Dairy Milk back then. And then there was the taste – creamier, milkier and a lot more flavours too…

Cadbury’s was available everywhere, while Amul was stocked only in this one store 10 minutes walk away from home. The Mangalore store uncle was a simple man, and his own reasons to stock a brand that his fellow competitors refused to keep. I for one, was grateful to him for doing this. Once a month, I’d save enough, to trundle down to his shop and pick up a bar. The Amul Bitter & Amul Coffee were the rarest, i don’t think i had them more than twice/thrice over the years.

I missed the re-release of this iconic ad featuring the fire-brand Neerja Bhanot in a  Bollywood movie-PR push  back in 2016, but it was always about the chocolates. I don’t remember whether the first purchase happened at Churchgate, or at the neighbourhood D’Mart, but i’m glad i did.

A lot had changed since the 80’s and 90’s, but Amul was back. Bigger, grander, better.  From single-origin dark chocolates that lord over the competition, to the ones you can see in the snap below – Amul offers it’s chocolates in a variety of flavours that continue to delight.

Iconic packaging, a size that won’t get crowded by the other brands on the supermarket shelf and bold, colourful copy that calls out to the eyes – Amul has gotten many things right where the other players have faltered. But the one where they  excel, is in their flavours on offer – and the fact that they continue to be big on taste!

Playing to their strengths, Amul still offer the Bitter Chocolate, Orange, Fruit & Nut, Crisp and Milk Chocolate. Haven’t spotted their Coffee Milk Chocolate – but it won’t be too long a wait, I hope.  Meanwhile, they continue to push the horizons, with global flavours like Hazelnut, Belgian Dark, Super Fruit & White Limon. All of which, were unavailable earlier, or were possible, at much higher price-points. But it is perhaps, their ability to play to regional strengths, such as the distinctively tasting Camel Milk Chocolate that sets them apart. Winning my heart further, is the way they’re offering these flavours of theirs in form-factors like ice-creams, chocolate singles and packaged milk-shakes.

Availability & distribution continue to be a pain though. Regular grocers rarely seem to stock them, even when they have their Ice-Creams, Milk and other cold-chain products from Amul. Till then, D’Mart and other ‘super-markets’ shall continue to be the prime hunting grounds for these treats – once it is safe to venture out in the post Covid-19 situation ofcourse…

Stay safe out there…