How the reign of imported biscuits is crumbling under weight of local alternatives

Illustration: TBS

It was an Autumn afternoon in 2020. Nusrat wore her surgical mask and took a deep breath before stepping out of the car. She was at the DCC Market in Gulshan, ready to stock up on her weekly groceries. As she strolled through the narrow alleys lined with familiar shops, she stopped at her go-to store. She needed snacks, her usual fix of Oreo and Dewberry. But the prices had shot up to around Tk135 to Tk150. 

That sudden hike was a reflection of a trend that has been building over the past five years, with prices of foreign biscuits rising by Tk100 or more. Once seen as a treat, foreign biscuits have now become somewhat of a luxury for the average Bangladeshi household.

For a long time, local biscuit options lacked variety. 

Brands like Nabisco, Olympic, Haque and Pran had limited flavours. The idea of cookies as layered, chewy-centred treats had not quite taken off, most brands stuck to simple, flat and crisp biscuits. While Western countries had long mastered the art of diverse biscuit-making, Bangladesh was still experimenting with recipes. 

However, the local market started growing. Olympic's Nutty Biscuit, originally released in 2014, gained popularity among young office workers around 2022. It became clear that locals preferred affordable, quality snacks at workplaces, and now, finally, there were options beyond the usual digestive or energy biscuits.

North End Coffee Roasters played a crucial role in popularising cookies in Dhaka. Their chunky, American-style cookies with crisp edges and gooey centres introduced many to what a 'real' cookie could taste like. 

Since then, several bakeries have followed suit. Indulge now offers a wide range, from classic butter cookies to nutty varieties like cashew and almond. Even local chains have stepped up; Tasty Treat's 'Brittle Biscuit', for instance, has gained a following for its buttery crunch and flavour depth that even rivals imported options.

Today, the local scene offers real alternatives to their more illustrious foreign counterparts. Bellame's Cremo (in both vanilla and chocolate) competes with Oreos, while its Chocolate Fondue gives India's popular Dark Fantasy a serious run for its money. Ifad's Biscoff even attempts to replicate the taste of the famed Belgian Lotus Biscoff. Meanwhile, as foreign wafers remain pricey, consumers now turn to Cocola's The Real Chocolate Roll as a cost-effective substitute.

Md Showkat Mahmud, Senior Brand Executive at Olympic Industries, explained how local brands adapted. "At first, we sold biscuits for Tk5-15 under different names. But we realised that for long-term growth, we needed to cater to repeat, family-sized consumption," he said. 

This led to the launch of larger packs costing Tk40-50 and even premium biscuits like Sweet Fantasy, priced at around Tk150.

His team studied consumer behaviour, noting that younger generations enjoy experimenting with flavours and actively promote what they like, especially on social media. "That word-of-mouth effect helped us. We launched choco-filled and cream sandwich biscuits based on these preferences," he added.

With 11 biscuit lines, they now earn Tk250–280 crore monthly from biscuits alone, a staggering figure in the Bangladeshi market.

The rising success of local brands is not just about price, but understanding taste. Local companies have begun to tailor flavours specifically for Bangladeshi palates. 

The New Zealand Dairy 'Crush Biscuit', for example, has a lemon variant inspired by a Japanese brand. But instead of copying outright, they researched the flavour and reworked it for local consumers. The focus was on maintaining international standards while staying relevant at home.

But M Rashidul Arefin, Account Director at Grey Advertising Bangladesh, pointed out that blatant imitation shows insecurity and a lack of originality. 

"It's bad manners to blatantly copy a foreign brand. What works is proper branding, good packaging, and understanding the local taste. Olympic, for example, managed to somewhat match the global market in terms of packaging. Goldmark was the first to prioritise branding and introduced modern packaging for local biscuits," he said.

In the last five to eight years, the market has matured significantly. Where once foreign brands dominated with shiny wrappers and fancy names, local companies have caught on. Olympic, Bellame, Cocola, and others have realised that packaging is more than just a box; it's the first impression.

Rise in the cost of living has only accelerated the shift. With foreign products like Hide & Seek, Julie's, Munchies, and Dark Fantasy becoming increasingly expensive, local brands have found an opportunity to thrive. They are no longer just the cheaper option — they are the better fit.

For Nusrat and many like her, local biscuits now mean quality, affordability, and variety. And in a market once dominated by imports, that shift tastes especially sweet.