Brands
Haldiram’s launches heart-shaped chocolate kaju katli for gifting
New Dilruba sweet blends tradition and modern flavours for Valentine’s gifting
MUMBAI: Haldiram’s is giving the classic kaju katli a romantic makeover this Valentine’s season. The brand has introduced Dilruba, a heart-shaped, chocolate-coated version of the traditional cashew sweet, aimed at younger consumers and modern gifting moments.
The new mithai, announced on LinkedIn by Divya Rana Batra, vice president – marketing and E-commerce at Haldiram’s, is positioned as more than just a festive product. She noted that some creations are designed to be felt as much as tasted, reflecting the brand’s effort to combine tradition with contemporary indulgence.
Dilruba is part of Haldiram’s broader push to refresh Indian sweets for today’s occasions. While rooted in classic ingredients and craftsmanship, the product introduces a new shape and flavour twist to appeal to urban consumers and experience-led gifting trends.
The heart-shaped format and chocolate coating are designed to connect with younger buyers and modern celebrations, while still carrying the familiarity of a traditional mithai. The move reflects a wider shift in the sweets market, where premium presentation and occasion-specific products are gaining ground.
Haldiram also sees Dilruba as more than a Valentine’s novelty. The company plans to position it as a versatile gifting option for celebrations, festive moments and personal indulgence.
To support impulse and last-minute purchases, Dilruba will be available across major quick-commerce platforms, allowing near-instant delivery.
With the launch, Haldiram’s signals how heritage brands can stay relevant by mixing nostalgia with new-age formats and flavours. In other words, the old favourite has learnt a new trick, and this time it comes wrapped in chocolate and shaped like a heart.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
