Kurkure

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kurkure
Official logo
Product typeCornpuff Sticks
OwnerLays (via Frito-Lay)
CountryIndia, Pakistan (countries of origin)
Introduced1999; 25 years ago (1999) (India)
2007; 17 years ago (2007) (Pakistan)
MarketsIndia
Pakistan
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Canada
United States
Nepal
Bangladesh
Previous ownersPepsiCo

Kurkure is an Indian and Pakistani brand of spiced crunchy puffcorn snacks made up of rice, lentil and corn, that is owned by Lays. It was first launched in 1999 in India.[1][2] The snack is currently being manufactured and sold in India and in Pakistan. The snack has limited availability in certain international markets such as Canada and the United Kingdom.[3][4][5][6]

The word Kurkure means "crunchy" in Hindi and Urdu languages.

In India, it is manufactured in Sangrur, Pune, Howrah, Sonipat, Ranga Reddy, Vaishali and Kamrup. In Pakistan, it is manufactured in Gulberg, Lahore.

Ingredients[edit]

Kurkure is made from rice meal, edible vegetable oil[7] (palm oil), corn meal, gram meal, spices (such as turmeric), condiments, salt, sugar, tartaric, and E631. Kurkure is not completely vegan as the PepsiCo website in a pdf listing the ingredients show milk solids as one of the ingredients.

It contains natural, nature-identical, and artificial flavouring substances.[8]

Flavours[edit]

India[edit]

  • Masala Munch
  • Chilli Chatka
  • Naughty Tomato
  • Green Chutney Style
  • Solid Masti

Pakistan[edit]

  • Red Chilli Jhatka
  • Chutney Chaska
  • Toofani Mirch
  • Toofani Masala

Marketing[edit]

In 1999, Kurkure was initially launched in India, Indian television actress Pooja Ghai appeared in the commercial and served as the first brand ambassador. In 2004, Indian Hindi film actress Juhi Chawla was featured in advertisements for Kurkure.[9] Kurkure was launched in Tamil Media in 2008 with actress Simran as its brand ambassador.[10] In 2012, Parineeti Chopra, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani, Ramya Krishnan, and Farida Jalal, started to advertise Kurkure.[11] In 2019 Samantha Ruth Prabhu acted in Tamil and Telugu commercials of Kurkure.[12] In 2024, actress Sara Ali Khan acted in Kurkure's Hindi commercial.[13]

Kurkure was launched in Pakistan in 2007. Actresses Ayesha Omer, Hania Amir and Iqra Aziz have all been featured in television commercials for Kurkure in the country.[14][15] In November 2006, Frito-Lay announced plans to release Kurkure to American markets in 2007.[16] This decision was made after analysts showed increasing interest in Indian spices in the region.[17] Kurkure was subsequently introduced in other markets with a significant non-resident Indian population such as the UK.[18]As of 2010, Kurkure is available in Eastern Canada.[19] As of 2013, Kurkure is available in Western Canada.

Free Internet Data (India)[edit]

From September 2020, Airtel had provided its users 1GB free internet data with a packet of Kurkure costing Rs 10 similarly for the pack 20 and above it provided 2GB Free data.[20]

Controversy (India)[edit]

In July 2018, it was reported that PepsiCo had been granted an order by the Delhi High Court, ordering Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remove or block various "disparaging and defamatory" posts perpetuating a false rumour that Kurkure products contain plastics. The rumour had frequently been spread via videos depicting the snacks being flammable, though this is based primarily on their starch content. PepsiCo faced criticism over the move, as it also included the geoblocking of Twitter posts that were clearly satirizing the controversy and order.[21][22][23][24]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "PepsiCo India - Kurkure". pepsicoindia.co.in. Archived from the original on 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  2. ^ "How PepsiCo's Kurkure managed to grab and retain snack market share". Archived from the original on 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  3. ^ Bhushan, Ratna (2007-09-07). "Kurkure set to cross LoC". Articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  4. ^ "Kurkure goes to UK". Rediff.com. 2004-12-31. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  5. ^ "PepsiCo aims to double Kurkure sales in next 5 years". moneycontrol.com. 4 April 2018. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  6. ^ 2021-08-26T07:46:00+01:00. "Kurkure snack brand to launch in the UK". Convenience Store. Archived from the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-03-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Kurkure Business In India – Spicing Up The Market". aatmnirbharsena.org. 5 Nov 2020. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Product Information" (PDF). PepsiCo India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-01-04. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  9. ^ Adesara, Hetal (31 May 2004). "Kurkure's new ad with Juhi Chawla rides on Tulsi bahu's success". indiantelevision.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  10. ^ Cine Idol Simran appointed as the first brand ambassador for Kurkure in South India Archived 2011-10-11 at the Wayback Machine. PepsiCo India. June 4, 2008. Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
  11. ^ "Kurkure launches the all-new 'Tedha Hai Par Mera Hai' Family". PepsiCo India. Archived from the original on 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  12. ^ "The Evolution of Kurkure: From Control Nahi Hota to Khayal toh Chatpata Hai". adageindia.in. May 30, 2019. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  13. ^ "Kurkure's campaign #ChatpateSeSabPatein normalises work-life balance with Sara Ali Khan". afaqs.com. 19 February 2024. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  14. ^ Mehwish Bangush (May 13, 2017). "10 Pakistani Actresses Who Started Off with Modelling". thecinemapost.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  15. ^ Anusha Sachwani (2 October 2019). "Kurkure's Latest TVC Featuring Iqra Aziz & Ahmed Ali Akber Makes us Miss Our College Days!". brandsynario.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  16. ^ "Frito-Lay to launch Kurkure in US". fnbnews.com. 4 November 2006. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  17. ^ Kurkure Masala Munch 5 Oz by PepsiCo. ISBN 2584695235.
  18. ^ "Pepsi India to expand portfolio, foray into breakfast segment — $300–500 m investment planned". Business Line. 30 March 2005. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  19. ^ "Pepsi markets goes Global". PepsiCo India. Archived from the original on 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2015-03-06.
  20. ^ Ankita Chakravarti (September 1, 2020). "Airtel will now provide up to 2GB free internet data on purchase of Uncle Chipps, Lays and more". India Today. Archived from the original on 2022-03-04. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  21. ^ "Delhi HC does not find Kurkure 'plastic' jokes funny, orders social media giants to erase them". The Print. 26 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-07-27. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  22. ^ Mitra, Sounak (2018-07-26). "Social media platforms take down posts on Pepsi Kurkure". Livemint. Archived from the original on 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
  23. ^ "Facebook ordered to block posts about a PepsiCo snack in India". CNET. 2018-07-27. Archived from the original on 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
  24. ^ "PepsiCo Reportedly Wants Twitter to Delete All Jokes on 'Kurkure Has Plastic'". News18. Archived from the original on 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2018-07-27.

External links[edit]