Lotus Biscoff has officially been launched in India. At its launch event held in Mumbai yesterday, Mondelez India announced that it will manufacture, market and distribute the caramelised biscuit brand locally, a move that signals a strategic push into India’s growing premium cookie and snack segment.
Before this, Biscoff was present in India largely through imported packs and its growing popularity in cafés, bakeries and dessert formats. With this launch, the brand enters a structured, mass-premium rollout led by Mondelez, with local manufacturing units in India. The cookie will be available across traditional trade, modern trade, e-commerce and quick commerce.
But the journey to this point runs deeper. Lotus Bakeries, the Belgium-based company behind Biscoff, has a heritage rooted in the 1930s. Founded in 1932 by Jan Boone Sr in Lembeke, Belgium, the company developed a speculoos-style biscuit which later evolved into the Biscoff cookie. In June 2024, Lotus Bakeries and Mondelez International announced a strategic partnership for India, with the ambition that India would play a crucial role in Biscoff’s aspiration to become a ‘top three cookie brand globally’.
For Mondelez India, the move comes at a time when premium snacking is gathering pace in the country. With established brands like Oreo already in its portfolio, Mondelez sees Biscoff as a complementary addition in the cookie segment, one that benefits from its global heritage while tapping into Indian consumers’ growing appetite for premium, café-inspired indulgence.
The launch itself was staged as an experiential moment, in Mumbai. The brand rolled out influencer-driven pop-ups, sampling zones and on-ground activations aimed at creating visibility and engagement beyond the retail shelf. These tactics suggest that the company is placing a strong bet on experiential marketing, influencer networks and digital storytelling — alongside conventional channels like television. During the launch, in an on-ground interaction with Impact Magazine, Nitin Saini, Vice President – Marketing, Mondelez India discussed the thinking behind Biscoff’s India entry. He spoke about the role premiumisation is playing in the biscuit category, the decision to retain the brand’s global taste profile for Indian consumers, and the company’s distribution approach that extends beyond metros into tier-2 and tier-3 markets. Saini also outlined how Mondelez plans to balance television, digital and influencer-led outreach as part of the launch’s media strategy.
Watch the full conversation here:
Find the edited excerpts below:
Q: Lotus Biscoff already has a cult following globally, so what made you believe this is the right moment to launch it in India? Any customer insights behind this decision?
A: We are very excited to bring the Biscoff experience to India. As you said, it's a much-loved cookie brand around the world. People love the taste of Biscoff. And we already have a presence in the cream segment with Oreo, so for us, it made a lot of sense to do something in the cookie segment and what better than Biscoff.
Q: India’s snacking in the premium space is growing. Is this Mondelez India’s step towards premiumisation? And will Indian recipes be explored?
A: Absolutely, premiumisation is a big trend. If you look at the biscuits category, we already have the number one premium biscuit brand with Oreo. And now with Biscoff, it’s our second foray, in a very different segment, the cookie segment. What we’ve made sure of is that the product we are launching in India is exactly the same cookie, the same loved taste from around the world. We know that works, so we’ve ensured the same experience here as well.
Q: Since the launch is in Mumbai today, we can assume metros are the starting point. Will there be expansion into tier-2 and tier-3 cities?
A: Yes, we will be distributing it across urban India and different town classes to start with, and then at some point going into rural areas as well. It will definitely be present beyond metros. So yes, into tier-2 cities too.
Q: Today’s event is a great example of experiential marketing. Will we see more of café tie-ins, pop-ups, partnerships?
A: The team is exploring a lot of partnerships, and you will have Biscoff present pretty much everywhere. Biscoff as a cookie, but also Biscoff in different flavours and different formats. You’re going to see a lot of Biscoff.
Q: With AI advertising becoming common, will AI be a part of the marketing for Biscoff in India? Or will we see more narrative-style traditional advertising?
A: We will have a very strong media plan to support the launch. It will leverage conventional channels but also tap into new-age channels such as digital and influencers. It’s going to be a holistic plan, and we will use AI wherever it makes sense, that’s how we look at it.
Q: Since TV advertising is going down right now, what will be your primary approach: influencers, digital, or traditional TV?
A: We will focus on TV advertising as well. It’s a scale launch for us, which means TV has a role, so does digital and influencers. We’ll be leveraging all three.
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