Maha Kumbh boosts Coca-Cola's India sales, drives Q1 volume growth

The Maha Kumbh Mela provided an impetus to the sale of Coca-Cola products in the March quarter, the Atlanta-based fizzy drinks major said on Tuesday while announcing its first quarter results.

 

“For the first time in the company’s history, the system intensified an integrated activation consisting of hundreds of refreshment zones, approximately 1,400 mobile stations and a 100 cooler-door wall, leading to over 180 million servings consumed during the gathering,” the company stated in its earnings release.

 

The Maha Kumbh Mela, considered the world’s largest in-person gathering, saw an estimated 660 million attendees in 2025.

 

The Indian market witnessed double-digit volume growth for the company in the quarter ended March 28, 2025.

 

“In India, Trademark Coca-Cola and Thums Up, a cherished regional brand, are fuelling consumers and contributed to double-digit volume growth for the market in the first quarter,” the release further added.

 

“In India, we had strong volume growth across our portfolio of global and local brands. Our system added nearly 350,000 outlets, which increased our penetration,” said James Quincey, chief executive officer, Coca-Cola Company, during the quarterly earnings call with investors.

 

On an overall basis, the company’s unit case volume grew 2 per cent, led by India, China and Brazil, while in the Asia Pacific region, it witnessed a 6 per cent unit case volume growth.

 

However, the Indian market saw a fall in NARTD (non-alcoholic ready-to-drink) beverages.

 

"Value share in total NARTD beverages for the company was even as gains in the Philippines and Japan were offset by declines in Indonesia and India," it said.

 

“We had good momentum in Asia Pacific, very strongly driven by a good quarter in India and with China growing,” Quincey told investors, while adding, “India has seen a really good start to the year and our long-term thesis remains intact.”

 

Last week, rival PepsiCo had stated that the India market is in a good place, adding that it was bullish on its international business.