Spiced buttermilk? Coca-Cola turns to grandmas' recipes in India

For Coke, the ethnic drinks push is paired with a $1.7 billion foray into locally grown fruit juices

First came a type of cumin-flavoured sparkling water. Next up is a mix of unripe mangoes and spices. After that could be buttermilk. Then maybe potions based on a 2,000 year-old system of traditional medicine.
 
That’s a rough outline of Coca-Cola’s strategy in India as it tries to outrun the global decline in consumption of sugary sodas. As consumers turn health-conscious at a rapid clip, Coke’s mission is now to sell a lot more than just, well, Coke.
 
In India, its hunt for alternatives has led it to tap into a rich vein of what’s known as “ethnic