Mukesh Ambani is making headlines with the unexpected revival of Campa Cola, a once-popular soft drink brand in India.
After vanishing from the shelves 12 years ago, it was acquired for Rs 22 crores in 2022 by Ambani’s Reliance Retail.
The soft drink is prepared to make a roaring comeback and challenge current industry giants like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo with an ambitious strategy.
Rise and Fall of Campa Cola:
Originally owned by Pure Drinks Group, founded by Mohan Singh in 1970s, the brand quickly gained popularity across the market. It offered a range of flavors like Campa Orange and Rush, aimed at the younger consumers. The brand’s slogan “The Great Indian Taste” also resonated strongly with nationalist sentiments.
Dominating the soft drinks sector in the 1970s and 1980s, it was strengthened by a lack of foreign competition.
However, liberalization policies in the 1990s opened the Indian market to a flood of foreign players. This led to a steep decline of Campa Cola’s popularity and the rise of Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Between 2000 and 2001, Campa Cola’s bottling plants stopped operations, and by 2009, the brand became obscure in the country.
Current Revival:
With its acquisition by Reliance, the homegrown soft drink is set to make an unexpected comeback.
The company has introduced three flavors: cola, orange and lemon, which were made available in select outlets.
Reliance likely aims to leverage its enormous distribution network and financial resources to disrupt the current soft drinks industry. Known for its aggressive pricing strategies, the company is positioned to capture a significant share of the market, which is expected to grow at 5% annually until 2027.
Reliance aims to leverage its vast distribution network and financial resources to disrupt the soft drinks market. The company is known for its aggressive pricing strategies that offer higher margins to retailers and could potentially shake up the industry.
