Soft Drinks

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, the bottling arm of beverage major Coca-Cola in India, expects a decent growth in FY26 despite facing disruptions in the first half, from adverse weather conditions to external macroeconomic pressures, according to a top company official. HCCBL hopes for a "promising potential outlook", encouraged by favourable macro conditions, such as rapid urbanisation and rising disposable income, and it would continue to invest in expansion of capacity, portfolio and distribution, among others, said its Chief Financial Officer Harsh Bhutani. Besides, the board of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd (HCCBL) has been reconstituted after the parent entity, The Coca-Cola Company, divested a 40 per cent stake to Jubilant Bhartia Group. According to an industry insider, four people from the Jubilant Bhartia Group, engaged in pharmaceuticals, food services, agribusiness, energy, and other services, have joined the board of HCCBL. When asked about the development, Bhutani

"In India, volumes declined as our business was impacted by inclement weather," Henrique Braun, chief operating officer at the Coca Cola Company told analysts on a post results call on Tuesday

PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta says weather and intensified competition have slowed India's beverage growth, though foods category remains resilient

Currently, aerated beverages are classified as sin/demerit goods, leading to 40 per cent taxation (28 per cent GST and an additional 12 per cent compensation cess).

The non-alcoholic beverages sector has urged the government to reduce GST on aerated drinks to 18 per cent, which will make these products more affordable, drive investments and generate 1.2 lakh jobs annually by 2030. Currently, aerated drinks attract 28 per cent GST and a sin tax of 12 per cent. The government is proposing to rejig GST to a two-slab structure-- 5 per cent and 18 per cent. In addition, there will be a special rate of 40 per cent to be levied on select few items like ultra-luxury cars and sin goods. Currently, GST is a 4-tier structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent. The Indian Beverage Association (IBA) said the rationalisation of GST for the sector will make products more affordable, increase investments in the sector and also generate 1.2 lakh new jobs annually by 2030. The IBA, while appreciating the government for the next-generation GST reforms, said reclassification, GST rationalisation and placing the category in a standard GST rate will unlock the sector's t

The company has held initial talks with a small number of potential bidders for Costa, including private equity firms, Sky News first reported, citing unidentified sources

PepsiCo India and Coca-Cola India boost volume on select packs while maintaining prices, ahead of the festive season and amid rising competition, say industry sources

Relaunched in 2018, Coca Cola had acquired the cumin-flavoured Rimzim from Parle in the 1990s, but is only pressing the pedal on it now. The company did not respond to email queries

Jumpin was acquired from Hershey's India but its original owner was the Godrej group. According to a source, the brand was acquired for a little lower than ₹350 crore

The organic volume growth was 15.5 per cent Y-o-Y apart from the consolidation of South Africa & DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Campa Cola, the soft drinks brand owned by Reliance Consumer Products Ltd, the FMCG arm of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries, will open a new bottling plant in Bihar. According to reports, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL)-owned brand will have a new plant on 35 acres of land in the Begusarai district of Bihar, where it will invest around Rs 1,000 crore. Confirming the development, the state government's agency, Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) through a post on social media platform 'X' informed that the plot has been allotted to EPIC Agro Product Ltd, a company that produces and distributes Campa Cola. The upcoming facility will integrate both bottling and manufacturing operations. This marks a significant milestone in Campa Cola's aggressive growth strategy, with a sharp focus on expanding its footprint in eastern and northeastern India. The move comes just two months after the launch of a similar plant in Assam. This year in February, RCPL inaugurate

Gains high single-digit market share in Delhi, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Assam

Early summer onset, quick commerce and e-commerce to drive growth

PepsiCo had planned to launch its own so-called functional soda under the brand Soulboost, but decided to scrap that effort because of early indicators it wouldn't succeed

Beverage major Coca-Cola is selling its bottling plant in the North Gujarat region to Kandhari Global Beverages. Though the company has not shared financial details, industry insiders have pegged the deal to be around Rs 2,000 crore, where Coca-Cola will transfer business from HCCBL, its bottling arm in India, to its bottling partner Kandhari Global Beverages. The Atlanta-headquartered beverage major is divesting assets globally by franchising regional operations to local partners as part of its asset-light business model. "We have reached an agreement to transfer the North Gujarat bottling operations currently being operated by Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd (HCCBL). Subject to regulatory approvals, the North Gujarat business will be owned and operated by Kandhari Global Beverages Private Ltd," said an HCCBL spokesperson. This transfer will ensure that the right level of investments can be undertaken in all parts of the business while bringing scale and contiguity to the ..

Company gains $303 million from refranchising bottling ops in India in 2024

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola plan to launch budget-friendly soft drinks, known as B-brands, to safeguard the premium status of their flagship products and preserve profit margins

Carbonated soft drinks segment in India is unable to reach its potential in terms of scale expansion due to barriers such as high taxation under the GST regime despite government's initiatives like 'Make in India' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', according to a report by economic think tank ICRIER. The cross-country comparative data on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) taxes collated by the World Bank shows that India has one of the highest tax rates for carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) at a total tax rate of 40 per cent as of 2023. Over 90 per cent of countries that tax SSBs have a lower tax rate than India, as per the report titled 'Carbonated Beverages Industry in India: Tax Policy to Promote Growth, Innovation and Investment'. Consumers, globally and in India, are shifting towards low-sugar and no-added sugar varieties of beverages amid heightened health awareness. "The CSD market is also changing from its traditional high sugar carbonated beverages to low-sugar and fruit-based and/or ...

While Neeraj Chopra has been identified as the highest-valued non-cricketer among Indian sportspersons, Manu Bhaker is also finalising big deals

Price increases are expected to moderate relative to last year because inflation levels are lower, Bogdanovic said