Coca-Cola introduces its sports beverage Powerade in India

Coca-Cola India is expanding into the alcohol beverage sector.

The company has initiated trial runs of Lemon-Dou, a global alcoholic ready-to-drink beverage, in regions including Goa and parts of Maharashtra.

Coca-Cola India, the division of The Coca-Cola Company operating within India, is exploring the alcohol beverage market.

They've initiated trial runs of Lemon-Dou, the multinational company's worldwide alcoholic ready-to-drink beverage, in select areas of Goa and Maharashtra.

Lemon-Dou, known as 'Chuhai,' is an alcoholic cocktail with roots originating from Japan. During its initial test launch, it's being sold at Rs 230 for a 250 ml can.

According to a media report, Lemon-Dou, introduced in Japan in 2018, served as Coca-Cola's inaugural ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage, aligning with its focus as a beverage company.

Besides Japan and India, Lemon-Duo is set to be accessible in China and the Philippines.

In October this year, Coca-Cola teamed up with Pernod Ricard, a global spirits producer, in a worldwide partnership to introduce Absolut vodka and Sprite as a ready-to-drink pre-mixed cocktail by 2024.

The rollout will commence in the UK, Netherlands, Spain, and Germany initially. Referred to as Absolut & Sprite, the product will consist of Pernod's Absolut high-quality vodka combined with Coca-Cola's lemon-lime soft drinks, Sprite and Sprite Zero Sugar, as emphasized in a report.

Hard Rock International has entered into a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, the world's leading total beverage company. With this partnership, Coca-Cola's brand portfolio will be introduced to Hard Rock Cafe locations worldwide.

Stephen K. Judge, President of Cafe Operations, Hard Rock International, said, “Hard Rock's partnership with The Coca-Cola Company will provide a significant opportunity to enhance our beverage platform and accelerate growth for both brands in our Cafe locations around the world.”

“We are proud to announce the partnership in Coca-Cola's backyard in Atlanta at our beautifully-renovated Cafe, which would make for the perfect spot for guests to have their first Coca-Cola at Hard Rock. I speak for all of our Cafe representatives when I share our excitement to bring Coca-Cola's impressive lineup of beverages to our guests in 2020,” Stephen added.

Kathleen Ciaramello, President, Foodservice and On-Premise, Coca-Cola North America, stated, “We are incredibly excited about this new partnership with Hard Rock International, one of the world's most globally recognized music, entertainment and dining brands. We are pleased to be able to refresh guests at Hard Rock Cafe locations worldwide with options from our total beverage portfolio beginning in 2020, bringing together two iconic brands to delight Hard Rock fans.”

Now, Hard Rock Café’s guests will be able to pair their favorite Coca-Cola products with any of Hard Rock's delicious menu items, including award-winning Steak Burgers like The Original Legendary Burger and Double Decker Double Cheeseburger, Sliders, Shareables and more.

Jumboking Foods Pvt Ltd, western India’s largest QSR chain, has announced Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd as its beverage partner. Under the partnership, the portfolio of carbonated beverages of Coca-Cola and Sprite and also of the water product Kinley will be sold across all Jumboking’s stores in India.

Jumboking is the single largest quick service restaurant chain in western India, with more than 115 stores in Mumbai, Pune, and Thane.

A Coca-Cola India spokesperson said, “Consumer buying habits and preferences are rapidly evolving and at the same time Coca-Cola is also evolving into a total beverage company. In India, we provide a larger choice to the consumer and we also ensure we are present across all segments and channels. We are also constantly evaluating opportunities to partner accounts across the country to drive consumption.”

Dheeraj Gupta, Managing Director of Jumboking, stated, “We see an alignment with Coca-Cola’s sharp positioning, fun vibe and choice of young and progressive ambassadors. We are looking to provide a captive consumer base for them via our stores.” 

Also Read: Five Reasons Why QSR is an Evergreen Business

QSR’s Statistical View

As per a recent report, the food Industry is no doubt booming at a fast rate, with Full-service restaurants and Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) together accounting for around 73% of the total restaurant industry.

According to the report by the National Restaurant Association of India, the overall restaurant market will touch Rs 510 billion in the next four years, from the current Rs 205 billion. It said that QSR space would be amongst the fastest-growing, touching nearly Rs 250 billion of the overall market in the next few years.

Popularity of QSR in India

QSRs have gained popularity with evolving lifestyles, urbanisation, and growing nuclear families. They are growing faster than the full-service restaurants across the globe due to their quick deliveries and competitive pricing that attract consumers. McDonald’s was the first QSR in India followed by various others such as KFC and Dominos.

QSRs have always been a zone of attraction for both consumers and business investors, making its franchises a lucrative segment for investment. QSR can be a one-stop destination for budding entrepreneurs that are stepping in this industry for the first time.

Also Read: Four Trends QSRs Shouldn't Ignore in 2019

The Changing Behavior of Customers

Standardization across food outlet chains in terms of ambiance, hygiene, easy accessibility, and service has caused an instant interest in the mind of the customers, increasing the QSR’s footfall. QSR’s are helping Indians to warm up the western cuisines.

Despite Indian food being the ultimate winner, cuisines like Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and American are gaining significant popularity because of the curious customers who are willing to experiment with their taste buds.

Seeing the potential of the Indian food industry, more franchisors could be seen entering the QSR segment for marking their existence as a brand.

Typical QSR Business Model

Investment range: Rs 5-50 lakhs

Area Required: 60-1200 sq. ft.

ROI: 30-70% annually

Note that the above statistics could vary depending upon different QSR brands and their offerings.

The Coca-Cola Company will soon launch Coca-Cola Energy in the US, bringing new fans into the energy drink category. This move is in line with Coke’s efforts to deliver more beverage options that meet changing preferences, lifestyles and tastes.

The company will be offering Coca-Cola Energy; Coca-Cola Energy Cherry, a flavour available exclusively in the US; and its zero-calorie counterparts in 12oz sleek cans as of January 2020.

Earlier this year, Coca-Cola Energy was launched in Spain and Hungary. Currently, the energy drink is available in 25 countries including Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden, France, Belgium, Romania, Hungary and Australia.

Janki Gambhir, Coca-Cola trademark innovation brand director, said, “As a total beverage company, we’re constantly looking for ways to evolve our portfolio and bring people the drinks they want – in a range of categories and package options.”

“Coca-Cola Energy was developed by listening to people who told us they wanted an energy drink that tastes more like Coca-Cola than a traditional energy drink,” Gambhir further stated.

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Coca-Cola has launched its global brand Barbican in India, foraying into the country’s niche but potentially high-volume non-alcoholic malt drinks market.

With this product, the beverage major is focusing on the youth. The company started pilot project six months back. A non-alcoholic malt-drink is a high energy beverage, brewed in the same fashion as beer or ale. 

A senior company official said, "We introduced Barbican, a non-alcoholic malt-based beverage, in select Indian markets."

Under the pilot, Barbican is imported and made available at around 3,000 select outlets across metropolitan cities.

The entry into this new segment is in line with Coca-Cola's plan to launch more healthier options in the F&B segment in India.

Currently, the company is offering a range of beverages, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Thums Up, Fanta, Limca and Sprite.

Kingfisher, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Heineken have already ventured into this market segment in order to target the vast untapped market of non-alcohol drinkers in the country.

Coca-Cola HBC (Coca‑Cola Hellenic Bottling Company) is planning to launch Costa Coffee products in at least 10 of its 28 markets next year. The move is part of Coca-Cola HBC’s aim to address a broad range of consumer and customer needs across multiple channels.

The company will be introducing Costa Coffee in European markets, including Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia and Switzerland.

Zoran Bogdanovic, CEO of Coca-Cola HBC, said, “This is fantastic news that will build genuine value for our customers and for us. Adding a brand as strong as Costa Coffee to our portfolio will allow us to capture more consumer occasions, to partner even more closely with our customers across all channels and strengthen our ability to address every drinking moment throughout the day.

“Our well-established infrastructure, processes and capabilities around coffee mean that we will hit the ground running with this exciting opportunity,” Zoran further stated.

Jennifer Mann, President of Global Ventures for The Coca-Cola Company, added, “We’re thrilled to partner with Coca-Cola HBC to bring our great coffee to more consumers. This new agreement is another example of how Costa Coffee is helping Coca-Cola become a total beverage company.”

Costa Coffee was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company in January 2019 in a deal worth £3.9 billion.

Coca-Cola India has expanded the range of its orange flavored sparkling beverage Fanta by adding a new variant Fanta Juicy+.

Fanta Juicy+ consists of real orange juice that will be tingling the taste buds. With this new launch, Coca-Cola India is expanding its portfolio by unveiling sparkling beverages blended with fruit juice.

Shrenik Dasani, Vice President (Sparkling Category), Coca-Cola India, said, “Fanta has always been known for its fruity taste, tingling bubbles and its ability to create moments of pure fun. With this new launch, we are adding the taste of real orange juice into the mix, for an even more fruity, even more, fun experience for our consumers. But we are not stopping there! We are truly delighted to welcome Sara Ali Khan to the Fanta family. Her vivacious, wholesome and fun persona is sure to make Fanta moments fruitier and more awesome than ever before.”

In order to connect the brand with the millennials, Sara Ali Khan has been chosen as the brand ambassador of Fanta.

Sara Ali Khan stated, “I am so excited to be associated with Fanta! I feel that Fanta resembles my spirit the most because it has this orang-y, juic-y, fun kind of vibe to it, and I believe that I have a similar vibe to myself! It’s about being fun, and I feel that Fanta and I are both fun.”

Coca-Cola, the world's largest beverage company, is planning to gain a foothold in the rapidly growing cafés space. The Coca-Cola Company launches hundreds of new products every year to meet the ever-changing tastes of consumers around the world.

Now, the company has entered preliminary talks for a substantial stake buy in the country’s largest coffee chain Café Coffee Day (CCD). Last year, through the acquisition of UK-based Costa Coffee, the beverage company has entered into the ever-growing coffee market.

An official in the knowledge of the development said, “The potential stake acquisition is being driven by Coca-Cola’s headquarters in Atlanta, and officials from the beverage maker’s global team are engaged in active talks with the Coffee Day management. It would give Coca-Cola a significant scale in the fast-growing café business, compared to soft drinks.”

Café Coffee Day, promoted by VG Siddhartha, is owned by Coffee Day Global, a subsidiary of Coffee Day Enterprises. With a footprint of 1,750 cafes, CCD continues to be a market leader in the organised café space. The brand competes head-on with Starbucks and smaller coffee chains like Barista and Costa Coffee.

Coca-Cola India has started exploring the process of divesting its asset-heavy bottling partner Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages’ plants. The move is in line with the beverage maker’s global strategy to refranchise bottling across markets. 

The company began talks with existing independent franchise bottlers for the divestment.

A source told, "The objective is to move away from the capital intensive, low margin business of bottling over a period of time, (and) to accelerate focus on its concentrate business."

The company-owned HCCB has 18 plants, accounting for two-thirds of Coca-Cola India’s volumes. HCCB reported revenue of Rs 9,082 crore in FY18 and it is the US beverage major's largest plant in India.

Earlier, the company had announced that it aims to generate revenues of $2.5 billion by 2020, which would involve manufacturing and selling a wider range of beverages and modifying its operating structure. 

Coca-Cola Australia has unveiled the first energy drink with a Coca-Cola taste, Coca-Cola Energy. This drink features ingredients, including caffeine and guarana.

Coca-Cola Energy will be available across Australia in 250ml cans and 4X250ml packs. It will also be offered in a no-sugar option.

Javier Meza, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Coca-Cola, said, “Coca-Cola Energy is an energy drink with a delicious and refreshing taste of Coca-Cola. We kept this at the heart of how we developed the recipe and are proud to offer it under the Coca-Cola brand, inviting people to try a new and different energy drink that is designed to complement upbeat and busy lives.” 

Lucie Austin, Marketing Director of Coca-Cola Australia, stated, “Coca-Cola Energy is the latest example of the company’s strategy to offer people a wider range of drinks for different lifestyles and occasions.”

“We are launching Coca-Cola Energy with and without sugar, and we will continue to expand and diversify our range of products to offer Aussies a wider choice of drinks. We think it will appeal to busy people on the go who are looking for an extra energy kick with a great Coca-Cola taste,” she added.

India cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has signed a three-year deal to endorse Powerade, the newly launched global soft drink from Coca-Cola. Dhoni’s deal with Coca-Cola is estimated to be worth Rs 15 crore.

Arun Pandey, Chairman of Rhiti Group, the sports marketing and talent management firm, said, “MS Dhoni has signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Coca-Cola’s Powerade. He has over 30 brand associations presently.”

Coca-Cola’s rival PepsiCo and Dhoni had ended their 11-year highprofile association in 2016. With this association, the cricketer had endorsed both Pepsi Cola and Lay’s chips .

In 2018, Dhoni inked over 10 endorsement deals, which include Mastercard, BharatMatrimony, German cybersecurity company WardWiz, fantasy sports platform Dream11, Snickers chocolates, online pharmacy Netmeds, domain registrar and web hosting company GoDaddy, luxury watch Panerai, and automotive batteries and solar applications brand LivFast.

The cricketer also endorses his own sportswear brand Seven, promoted by Rhiti Sports, and a chain of gyms by the name of SportsFit World.

Disney parks and resorts have partnered with Coca-Cola for bringing out new special containers of Coke to 'Star Wars' land 'Galaxy Edge'.

The new bottles will be made into a spherical droid-like shape while the new design is such that it matches the storyline of 'Galaxy's Edge'. The labels on the container will further be written in 'Aurebesh', a fictional language that is used in 'Star Wars'.

Scott Trowbridge, Creative Portfolio Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, said, "It's unlike any Coke product you've seen before. The graphics, the shape of the bottle itself, the cap, all that stuff is very unique to the world and the design language of 'Star Wars."

Susan Propp, Coke's Vice President of strategic partnership marketing, added, "I think guests will probably drink one to stay hydrated or enjoy it in the land and then probably throw one in their backpack and take it home."

Coca-Cola will be introducing its global sports drink Powerade in India within the next two months. The move is aimed towards competing with PepsiCo's Gatorade in the small but emerging sports drink market.

Currently, Powerade is available in India only through imports. Coca-Cola is eyeing to launch a locally-made version in the country.

Powerade is among the US beverage maker’s billion-dollar retail sales plus brands globally.

James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola, said, “Our focus is how to grow the business, but reduce calories.”

This is Coca-Cola’s second attempt to bring Powerade to India. Powerade has sales worth billions of US dollars globally.

Devendra Chawla, Chief Executive, Spencer’s Retail, said, “The functional sports drinks market is beginning to resonate with millennials and we are seeing good offtake at retail stores. However, unlike a couple of years back, now there are dozens of specialised hydration products for consumers to choose from.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has entered into a five-year global partnership deal with beverages maker Coca-Cola. With this partnership, Coca-Cola becomes exclusive non-alcoholic beverage partners of the ICC until 2023. 

David Richardson, CEO of ICC, said, "It is our pleasure to welcome Coca-Cola on board as an ICC partner for the next five years. As one of the world’s biggest sports with more than 1 billion fans, we are delighted to partner with Coca-Cola, one of the biggest brands in the world."

T. Krishnakumar, President, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, stated, "In line with our long history of partnering with major sporting events globally, our strategic partnership with ICC reinforces our long-standing commitment to refresh sports fans and enhance their entertainment experience. We look forward to delighting our consumers with our diverse portfolio and engagement opportunities to create unique experiences for fans through the next five years and even beyond that."

Vijay Parasuraman, Vice- President, Marketing, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, added, "Consumers are at the heart of Coca-Cola’s beverage portfolio. As part of our partnership with ICC to inspire moments of optimism and happiness amongst consumers, we will also offer fans a chance to watch the 2019 ICC World Cup matches live."

Beverages major Coca Cola India has introduced 'Colour', a TN-focused fizzy grape drink, under its Minute Maid brand. The company has launched this drink with an objective to go hyper-local with its offerings.

A new Minute Maid Colour is specially designed for the state's consumers and is made from grapes sourced locally from farmers based in the South of India. It is part of Coca Cola's strategy for developing products that suit the specific palate of regional consumers. The product is also an addition to the company's portfolio under its "fruit circular economy" program.

T Krishnakumar, President, Coca-Cola India, said, "At Coca-Cola India, we are actively focusing on our strategy to offer consumers a wide variety of choices as per their preferences. In line with this, we follow a hyper-local strategy and introduce localised beverages that suit the consumer preferences specific to a region."

"The launch of Minute Maid Colour is a step in the company’s transformational journey towards becoming a total beverage company with local roots. It is our first real seriously big bet in the local flavors space," he added.

Srideep Kesavan, Director of juice at Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, further stated, "Consumers in Tamil Nadu have a special love for grape flavored beverages. Minute Maid Colour is a deliciously rich grape juice drink with a few bubbles thrown in for fun. The product was developed keeping in mind local affinity and preferences. We named it ‘Colour’ since the term has a strong emotional connect and nostalgia across generations."

The Coca-Cola Company has completed Costa Limited acquisition from Whitbread PLC. The $4.9-billion transaction has been completed following the approval from regulatory authorities in the European Union (EU) and China.

The acquisition was announced on August 31, 2018. Founded in London in 1971, Costa has operations in more than 30 countries.

The acquisition of Costa gives Coca-Cola a significant footprint in the global coffee business, which is growing at 6% annually.

James Quincey, Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company, said, "We see great opportunities for value creation through the combination of Costa's capabilities and Coca-Cola's marketing expertise and global reach."

"Our vision is to use the strong Costa platform to expand our portfolio in the growing coffee category," he further stated.

Alison Brittain, Chief Executive of Whitbread, added, "We wish our friends and colleagues at Costa all the very best for their future success. Whitbread acquired Costa 23 years ago, when it had only 39 shops. Costa has grown to become a leading, international coffee brand, and Coca-Cola is the right partner to take Costa to the next stage of expansion."

The Coca-Cola Company has formed a new international group called Global Ventures. The unit is created to focus on ensuring maximum value from acquisitions and investments.

James Quincey, Coca-Cola Global Chief Executive Officer, said, "Acquisitions will continue to be an important tool for the company. This group will partner with colleagues around the world to identify and nurture the next series of fast-growing opportunities. We have created the group to ensure we properly connect and globally scale key acquisitions."

Coca-Cola, Nestle and Unilever are in the due diligence stage for acquiring GlaxoSmithKline Consumer's $4 billion Indian nutrition business, which includes malt beverages Horlicks and Boost.

"As with all M&As, completing the acquisition is only the first step. What is critical is accelerating our results and executing with precision," Quincey further said.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has shortlisted Nestle, Unilever and Coca-Cola for the second round of bidding for its Indian nutrition business, which includes the Horlicks brand. GSK will sell 72.5% stake in its Indian subsidiary.

The auction process had witnessed some of the world's biggest food and drinks companies including PepsiCo, General Mills, Reckitt Benckiser, Danone, and Kellogg's compete alongside homegrown ITC and private equity buyout funds such as KKR to purchase the GSK's consumer portfolio.

Earlier, ITC has withdrawn itself from the bidding race as it is of the view that the brands do not fit its portfolio.

Some bidders have opted out of the race while others were not shortlisted for the second round. It's not clear how many bidders are still in the race.

GlaxoSmithKline Plc CEO Emma Walmsley had earlier said, "The company is initiating a strategic review of Horlicks and its other consumer healthcare nutrition products, and that it's exploring partial or full sale of its 72.5% stake in its Indian subsidiary GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare."

दुनिया की सबसे बड़ी उपभोक्ता कंपनियां, नेस्ले, यूनिलीवर और कोका-कोला, भारतीय हॉर्लिक्स खरीदने के लिए बोली लगाने वालों में से हैं, जिनका स्वामित्व ग्लैक्सोस्मिथक्लाइन के पास है। बोलियों से $ 4 बिलियन से ज्यादा की कमाई की उम्मीद है।

तीनों दिग्गजों को उपभोक्ता सामान व्यापार के लिए प्रबल दावेदार माना जाता है, जो तेजी से बढ़ते उभरते बाजार में महत्वपूर्ण पद्चिह्न पेश कर रहा है।

जेम्स और विलियम होर्लिक द्वारा 1873 में स्थापित, हॉर्लिक्स एक माल्ट-आधारित पेय है। दोनों ने शुरुआत में शिकागो में एक कंपनी की स्थापना की थी, जहां वे पेय का निर्माण करते थे। पहले विश्व युद्ध में ब्रिटिश सेना के साथ लड़े सैनिक भारत में इस स्वास्थ्य पेय को लेकर आये।

होर्लिक्स बिजनेस हासिल करके, कोका-कोला पिछले महीने $ 5.1 बिलियन के लिए कोस्टा कॉफी खरीदने के सौदे के बाद एक और बहु ​​अरब डॉलर के अधिग्रहण को चिह्नित करेगा।

इस साल की शुरुआत में, जीएसके ने अपने छोटे यूके हॉर्लिक्स बिजनेस को अमीया फूड्स को एक अनजान राशि के लिए बेच दिया।

Some of the world's biggest consumer companies, Nestle, Unilever and Coca-Cola, are among bidders for buying Indian Horlicks which is owned by GlaxoSmithKline. Bids are expected to fetch more than $4 billion.

The three consumer goods giants are seen as frontrunners for a business, which is offering a significant footprint in a fast-growing emerging market.

Founded in 1873 by James and William Horlick, Horlicks is a malt-based drink. They both had initially set up a company in Chicago where they manufacture the drink. The soldiers who fought with the British Army in the First World War brought the health drink in India.

By acquiring the Horlicks business, Coca-Cola would mark another multibillion-dollar acquisition, following a deal to buy Costa Coffee for $5.1 billion last month.

Earlier this year, GSK sold its much smaller UK Horlicks business to Aimia Foods for an undisclosed amount.

कोका-कोला कंपनी कनाडा के मारिजुआना निर्माता अरोड़ा कैनाबिस इंक के साथ कैनबैडियोल (सीबीडी) के साथ पेय पदार्थ विकसित करने के लिए बातचीत कर रही है।

सीबीडी गैर-मनोचिकित्सक रसायन मारिजुआना में पाया जाता है, जो दर्द का इलाज करता है, लेकिन आपको उच्च नहीं मिलता है।

कोका-कोला के प्रवक्ता केंट लैंडर्स ने कहा, "हम दुनिया भर में कार्यात्मक कल्याण पेय पदार्थों में एक घटक के रूप में गैर-मनोचिकित्सक सीबीडी के विकास को बारीकी से देख रहे हैं। अंतरिक्ष तेजी से विकसित हो रहा है। इस समय कोई निर्णय नहीं लिया गया है।"

अगस्त में, अटलांटा स्थित शीतल पेय निर्माता ने घोषणा की है कि वह $ 5.1 बिलियन के लिए कोस्टा कॉफी श्रृंखला हासिल करेगी। ब्रांडों की अपनी प्रतिष्ठित श्रृंखला के बावजूद, कंपनी ने पिछले दशक में जूस, चाय और खनिज पानी सहित अन्य उत्पादों में प्रवेश किया है।

कोका-कोला और औरोरा सूजन, दर्द और क्रैम्पिंग को कम करने के लिए सीबीडी-इन्फ्यूज्ड पेय विकसित कर सकते हैं।

ओरोरा  का बाजार मूल्य 8.7 अरब डॉलर है और कनाडा की तीसरी सबसे बड़ी पॉट कंपनी है।

Coca-Cola Co. is in talks with Canadian marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis Inc. to develop drinks infused with cannabidiol (CBD).

CBD is the non-psychoactive chemical found in marijuana that treats pain but doesn’t get you high.

Kent Landers, Coca-Cola’s Spokesman, said, "We are closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world. The space is evolving quickly. No decisions have been made at this time."

In August, the Atlanta-based soft drinks maker has made an announcement that it will acquire the Costa Coffee chain for $5.1 billion. Despite its iconic range of brands, the company has forayed into other products including juice, tea and mineral water over the past decade.

Coca-Cola and Aurora would likely develop CBD-infused drinks to ease inflammation, pain and cramping.

Aurora has a market value of C$8.7 billion and is Canada’s third-largest pot company.

Coca-Cola is buying Costa Coffee, world’s second largest coffee shop chain, from Britain's Whitbread Plc for an enterprise value of $5.1 billion. The acquisition will give Coca-Cola almost 4,000 coffee outlets in the UK and across Europe.

The deal has been agreed unanimously by the Whitbread board as in the best interests of shareholders. Whitbread had been in the process of demerging its coffee business from its hotel chain.

Costa was acquired by Whitbread in 1995. At that time, it had only 39 shops.

The acquisition will help Coca-Cola to move away from fizzy drinks towards healthier options for increasingly health-conscious consumers.

James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola, said, "Hot beverages is one of the few segments of the total beverage landscape where Coca-Cola does not have a global brand. Costa gives us access to this market with a strong coffee platform."

For Whitbread, the deal will reduce debt and contribute to the pension fund. It will further expand its hotel chain Premier Inn in the UK and Germany.

Alison Brittain, Chief Executive of Whitbread, said, "The announcement represents a substantial premium to the value that would have been created through the demerger of the business and we expect to return a significant majority of net proceeds to shareholders."

Top beverage makers including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Bisleri have begun printing a buyback value on all PET (plastic) bottles sold in Maharashtra to comply with new regulations and help check plastic littering.

Consumers can return empty plastic bottles and will get paid as per the value of the buyback printed on bottles.

While the government has allowed the companies to keep the buyback value flexible, most companies have settled on Rs 15 per kg for PET bottles, and Rs 5 per kg for shrink wraps.

However, some industry officials said the buyback system is not fool proof, and could further complicate the issue.

“There is already a system in place to recycle plastic. What we need to do is make it more efficient and profitable for the stakeholders (such as rag pickers), instead of introducing more processes in the ecosystem of recycling further,” said Ramesh Chauhan chairman at Bisleri, market leader in the packaged water category.

A PepsiCo spokesperson said the company has started mentioning a recycle value of Rs 15 per kg of PET waste on its products sold in Maharashtra. “We are working with Gem Enviro to set up reverse vending machines, collection points and collection centres for PET waste bottles at several locations across the state to enable the buyback programme,” the person said.

Maharashtra enforced a ban on PET bottles smaller than 200 ml and other single use disposable plastic items in late June and gave users three months to come up with alternatives following mounting concerns over plastic waste.

Dr Vijay Habbu, faculty and expert in sustainability and technical advisor to plastic associations said: “The issue of plastic pollution cannot be resolved in singular steps and requires holistic solutions. Unless the the role of plastics in medical, food, pharmaceutical and related industries is understood, the messaging about pollution will always lead to unreasonable action. In taking easy steps of imposing wholesale bans, India loses opportunities to set global examples of managing plastic waste.”

The buyback value printing drive, which Maharashtra introduced as part of its efforts to check plastic pollution, is expected to spill over to other states, with many such as Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand also hinting at implementing similar plastic use restrictions.

Industry insiders said there is a lack of clarity on where the bottles can be returned — at retailers or at collection centres. If they are redeemed for a charge at retailers, the latter can return the empty bottles to recyclers.

“While the cost of printing is nominal, it is restrictive because we can’t supply bottles made in Maharashtra to any other state, and neither can we bring and sell bottles from outside the state,” a beverage industry official said, requesting not to be named.

Over the past four months, there have been three changes in the plastic ban covering PET bottles in Maharashtra, among the country's five largest consumer states. The state has amended norms for the ban on plastic packaging three times since March.

Industry players, however, insist the solution to deal with plastic waste lies in adopting technology in collaboration with all stakeholders, be it more efficient recycling techniques and solutions or coming up with viable and affordable biodegradable alternatives to plastic.

Coca-Cola is set to join global consumer food giants Nestle, Danone and Hindustan Unilever and others in the $4-billion-plus pursuit to buy GlaxoSmithKline’s consumer nutrition business, people close to the development said.

This marks an entirely new foray for the Atlanta headquartered firm and could give it bandwidth to play in the pure health-nutrition space aimed primarily at children, these people added. Coke has mandated Citi to help them in the competitive bidding process expected to launch next week.

“The evaluation work had begun even though the sale process is yet to formally launch. It will be a large transaction, so work has already begun,” said an official involved, on condition of anonymity as the discussions are in private domain. “This also marks the company’s return to big bang M&A in a market like India.”

Coke acquired Parle’s stable of brands in the early 1990s including the popular Thums Up and gained access to its nationwide bottling and distribution infrastructure, thereby getting a strategic advantage over others. This was the first and only transaction by the company in the country.

With consumer beverage preferences changing swiftly in favour of low-sugar or functional options such as juice and juice drinks, flavoured water, dairy-based beverages and tea, the Atlanta-based company has been accelerating portfolio expansion beyond its core aerated brands.

Coke president T Krishnakumar had said that it would also launch nutrition products including electrolyte hydration drinks to be sold over-the-counter at pharmacies.

“So far we have been very active in the refreshment space; we now want to be a serious player in nutrition,” he had said in an interview. Coke said in its quarterly earnings for the January-March 2018 quarter that it has had three quarters of growth on the back of better distribution and portfolio expansion.

The maker of Thums Up, Minute Maid juice and Kinley water has been stepping up launches in the ‘healthier’ space including no-sugar variants of Coke, Sprite and Thums Up, Vio dairy drink, Zico coconut water, Aquarius fortified water, Fuze iced tea, glucose and fruit juice drink Aquarius Glucocharge and Minute Maid Vitingo for micronutrient deficiency and malnutrition, besides hyperlocal variants of juices and juice-based drinks.

“As a matter of policy we do not comment on any speculative news,” said a Coca-Cola spokesperson. “At this point there is nothing to report on the said matter. We will keep you informed of developments if any.”

Both Coca-Cola and rival PepsiCo, which sell a combined $100 billion a year in drinks and snacks, have tried to reduce reliance on soda and other aerated drinks by acquiring new products, particularly in faster growing drinks categories such as water or tea.

In recent years Coca-Cola globally bought or invested in millennial friendly brands such as Honest Tea, an organic tea brand, Suja Life, a cold pressed juice maker, and AdeS, a soyabased beverage brand.

However, another top official said buying Horlicks wouldn’t be the ideal fit for a company which is looking to rapidly reduce sugar across its portfolio.a

GSK Consumer’s Horlicks and Boost brands have strong positioning in Indian market and command approximately 70% of overall value market share in Indian Malted Food Drinks (MFD) market.

These products had a combined revenue of £550 million in 2017, with India contributing most of it. However, in March the company decided to review and potentially sell the nutrition products business to fund the $13-billion buyout of Novartis’ stake in a consumer healthcare JV.

The review will also include an assessment of the parent’s 72.5% stake in GSK Consumer in India. The current market cap of the company is Rs 25,544.95 crore.

The outcome of this review is likely by end-2018 which may or may not result in any transaction, eventually, as per the company. Morgan Stanley and Greenhill are advising GSK in the sale.

Beverage company Coca-Cola ready to come up with its nutrition products such as electrolyte hydration drinks that will be sold over-the-counter at pharmacies.

“So far we have been very active in the refreshment space; we now want to be a serious player in nutrition,” said company president T Krishnakumar.

The category will be a first for Coca-Cola and such products are expected to be available in medical stores within two months, he said.

The maker of cola drinks which also sells juice and water brands said the company may have a separate distribution model for the new product line.

“We are getting into serious play. We decided we need to have serious products as well to take the company’s journey forward,” Krishnakumar said.

Coca-Cola, which has now had three-quarters of growth, will scale up “to keep relevance in India,” he said.

Separately, the company announced the launch of Aquarius Glucocharge, a ready-to-drink glucose beverage with fruit juice, on Thursday. It said another brand Minute Maid Vitingo — will be scaled up to address micronutrient deficiency and malnutrition.

On consumption prospects, Krishnakumar said, “We see tailwinds of growth and the outlook is positive.”

In a surprising departure for a US company identified with cola and other non-alcoholic beverages, Coca-Cola plans to launch its first ever alcoholic drink in Japan.

Coca-Cola Japan president Jorge Gardunos said, “While Coca-Cola experimented in the wine business in the 1970s, the Japanese experiment is "unique" in the company's 125-year history.”The new offering will be in Japan's growing "Chu-Hi" category of beverages.”But Coca-Cola exited the alcoholic business venture six years later, selling Spectrum for $200 million.

He said "This is a canned drink that includes alcohol. Traditionally, it is made with a distilled beverage called shochu and sparkling water, plus some flavoring.”

Chu-Hi drinks come in a range of flavors such as grape, strawberry, kiwi and white peach and sometimes replace shochu with vodka.

Among the popular drinks, the category which usually has between three and nine percent alcohol and is marketed by leading Japanese beverage companies such as Asahi, Kirin and Takara, is especially popular with young consumers and women.

Garduno said "We haven't experimented in the low alcohol category before, but it's an example of how we continue to explore opportunities outside our core areas.”

But Garduno said the launch of Chu-Hi drinks should not be seen as a harbinger of the company's intentions elsewhere.

He said, "It makes sense to give this a try in our market. But I don't think people around the world should expect to see this kind of thing from Coca-Cola. While many markets are becoming more like Japan, I think the culture here is still very unique and special, so many products that are born here will stay here."

Still, the push is part of a broader campaign by Coca-Cola to diversify beyond sodas at a time when consumers in the US and other developed markets are backing off sweet drinks and diet colas out of health concerns.

Honest tea, Dasani bottled water, the flavored Vitamin Water and the Powerade sports drink are highly counted non-cola products in the company's portfolio.

Beverages major Coca cola is planning to try low sugar content drinks and diet variants of existing brands across its portfolio in its local outlet here by the end of this year.

Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia president T Krishnakumar said this move is in line with the company’s global commitments.

Last year, the US-based beverages giant said it would reduce sugar content in more than 500 products around the world and introduce more low-sugar variants.

Krishnakumar said the Indian unit grew by high double digits in revenue and high single digit in volumes in the October-December quarter.

He said, “An expanded portfolio, higher investments in marketing on both carbonated drinks and juices, and better bottling execution have worked for us. We have seen two sequential quarters of good growth. The company was equally focused on driving revenue as well as volume.”

The company, which follows a January-December financial year, however, did not specify its India numbers. Most consumer-facing companies in India have posted higher-than-average volume growth in the October-December quarter, on account of the base effect as demonetisation had hit the year-ago performance.

Krishnakumar said, “While lemon drink Sprite, remains the biggest brand for Coca-Cola India, followed closely by Thums Up, both Thums Up and Minute Maid juices posted “healthy” growth in the quarter, he said. The sparkling category has retained its relevance, and has grown almost at the same levels as overall growth.” More variants of Thums Up could be launched this year he added.

The key categories where the company will invest this year are sparkling, juices and hydration, he said. The company is also looking for opportunities in tea and dairy.

Coca-Cola also has the plans to add frozen fruit-based deserts in the coming season, and aims to introduce variants of its aerated brands with juice content.

Krishnakumar said, “Coca-Cola will maintain prices as India is a “value-driven market. On the consumption outlook for the next two quarters, we expect growth to remain positive, in both urban and rural markets. We have a better understanding of what the consumer is looking for, and have a strong portfolio of products and packaging for rural consumers.”

Soft drink maker Coca-Cola is set to introduce its core aerated soft drink brands Sprite, Limca and Fanta with fruit juice this summer.

In last three years since PM Modi first urged cola companies to blend aerated drinks with 5% juice from fruits produced by farmers Coca Cola is experimenting on fruit based drinks.

A Coca-Cola spokesperson said, “Under our virtuous fruit circular economy initiative, we propose to use Indian fruit products in as many beverages as possible; adding juice to our carbonated flavour products is one of those options. As we go forward, we will continue to explore with other carbonated flavour brands.”

An official directly aware of the developments said, “Coca-Cola’s global leadership team including Asia Pacific group president John Murphy, who was in Kolkata last weekend, reviewed the upcoming launches for India — the beverage giant’s sixth biggest market globally.”

He added, “The products have already been developed. Fruit juices are being added across Coca-Cola’s non-cola aerated drinks portfolio; these will be irrespective of tax incentives by the government for fruit-based aerated drinks. He added that besides broadbasing its beverage portfolio, the company is hopeful that addition of fruit juice could bring back consumers who have turned away from sugary aerated drinks.”

A Coca-Cola spokesperson also said that the company’s existing products will be available alongside the fruit based drinks.

Coca-Cola, a beverage major today announced its plans to take the home-grown carbonated cola brand Thums Up to Southeast Asia before launching it globally.

Coca-Cola India and South West Asia president T Krishnakumar said, "We are all set to take Thums Up to other parts of South Asia possibly by March 2018,"

The company officials said, “Thums Up is also the first Indian brand that will become a USD 1 billion (approx. Rs 64,000 crore) brand much before the targeted timeline of 2020.”

Purchased in 1993 from from Parle Bisleri, Thums Up is a 40 year-old brand which has been with the US beverage major for the past 26 years. In 1993, Coca-Cola bought Ltd.

Coca-Cola has a total of 40 brands in India including Thums Up and Thums Up Charged.

Coca-Cola India said that it intends to make its cola brand, Thums Up, the first home-grown billion dollar beverage brand in the next 2 years. Company also launched the first ever variant of Thums Up, Thums Up Charged, which the company claims is much more stronger than the previous version.

Company and its bottlers will invest suitably in launching new packs, expanding distribution and augmenting manufacturing capacity to increase the sales of Thums Up by 2020.

Coca-Cola India had earlier last year said that it aims to more than double retail sales of its mango beverages brand Maaza to one billion dollar by 2023, as part of its strategy to widen fruit based business.

Vijay Parasuraman, vice president marketing, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia said “We thought that Maaza will be the first home-grown brand from from Coca- Cola India's stable to attain one billion dollar sales mark but when we assesed the growth of Thums Up, we realised that it can reach one billion dollar in revenue even before Maaza”.

According to data by research firm Nielsen, Thums Up, which Coca-Cola had acquired from Ramesh Chauhan’s Parle in 1993, is the country’s leading cola brand, ahead of Coca-Cola and rival Pepsi.

Coca Cola looking to expand new and smaller brands including drinks that can mixed with Alcohol to adapt people changing taste.

Coca-Cola said in a statement” more people want to sip on beverages made in small batches, instead of mass-produced sodas. Knowing that, Coca-Cola recently bought Mexican sparkling water brand Topo Chico, which it said has a strong following in Texas. It said it will look to develop other smaller brands, such as its Blue Sky soda, which is made with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. U.S. launch of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, a reformulated replacement for Coca-Cola Zero, was successful. Overall sales volume of its bubbly soft drinks during the most recent quarter was flat in North America, the company's biggest market. Sales volume of Sprite, bottled tea and bottled coffee grew, while its various waters fell”.

James Quincey, CEO cola cola said” Alcohol mixers are also becoming more popular around the world and the company launched a mixer in Spain called Royal Bliss this year as well as a new line in the U.K. More consumers seek unique and distinct products with sophisticated flavours, quality ingredients and smaller-scale production”.

Revenue fell 15 percent $9.08 billion in the period, beating the $8.84 billion analysts expected. The company said much of the revenue drop has to do with its plans to sell off its bottling business, which means less revenue for the company as it focuses on selling syrups and concentrates of its drinks to bottlers.

Coca-Cola China has launched a new label design on its packaging to feature the young segment’s own language codes as the cola company attempts to appeal the younger segment in the country, advertising + marketing Malaysia reports.

Coca-Cola China in collaboration with McCann Worldgroup Shanghai has launched this campaign as part of its summer campaign. The new packaging, dubbed “code bottle”, is decorated with different emoticons and phrases that the younger segment in China create and use on a daily basis.

It also debuts with two films that will run on both TV and digital platforms. The stories focus on friendship and romance, two themes which appeal to Chinese youth. The first spot, Friend Hunt, stars Chinese influencer Lu Han, and follows his journey of using code bottles to connect with friends.

The brand will also be introducing limited edition Lu Han bottles with special codes and packaging, to grab attention from his 32 million followers.

A second film will be launched in mid-July to feature a young couple’s relationship journey, from the first time they met, to their first date, first kiss, first fight and first break-up, and ultimately how they reconcile over a bottle of Coke.

The code label designs will be launched nationally and activities such as product placement and TV show sponsorships will also be introduced the same time to enhance campaign influence and facilitate social conversations.

Soft-drink company, Coca-Cola plans to launch frozen desserts in India as the beverages giant looks to expand its portfolio beyond carbonated drinks into fruit-based or other healthier choices.

According to officials, "The new product will be available in the next three months, and initially sell in institutional formats such as movie theatres, and not as retail packs. The company will also put fruit chunks in Maaza and Minute Maid to make the drinks healthier."

The new product range will challenge the dominance of Hindustan Unilever and Amul in the Rs 10,000 crore ice-cream segment.

T Krishnakumar, President, India and Southwest Asia, Coca-Cola, announced that it will invest Rs 11,000 crore in creating an agriculture-focused ecosystem, food processing units and sourcing that will help it introduce a slew of innovative products in the fruit-based categories within the next five years.

Ishteyaque Amjad, Vice-President, Public Affairs & Communications, Indian and South West Asia, Coca-Cola, said, "We are committed to creating a ‘Virtuous Circular Economy’ for sustainable agriculture and provide a forward linkage to the Indian farmer. This can be broadly put under four major initiatives — adding juice to our sparkling portfolio, enhancing local fruit variants within our existing juice portfolio, launching a new range of products, and exporting Indian fruits to our global systems." 

Coca-Cola India replaced Venkatesh Kini with T Krishnakumar as Coca-Cola India President.

The timing of the change, in the middle of the critical peak season for cola companies, was a surprise. The summer months of the April-June quarter contribute over 40 per cent to annual soft drink sales.

Krishnakumar is currently chief executive of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), the bottling arm.

Christina Ruggiero will succeed Krishnakumar at HCCB, becoming the unit’s first woman CEO. She’s currently CEO for bottlers’ sales and services at Coca-Cola System (North America). The changes are effective May 1.

James Murphy, President, Asia Pacific Group, said, "This is a very important period in our company's transition globally."

The company has seen at least six quarters of low single-digit growth in what it regards as a key market. Murphy said he expected Coca-Cola to return to double-digit growth over a threeyear period, adding that non-cola beverages would contribute "significantly" to expansion.

He said, "We believe India is one of the few markets in the world that can materially change our systems. Our focus is to come up with more consumer-oriented businesses and a stronger total beverages portfolio, spread in multiple categories, particularly in the developing markets."

Irial Finan, President, Bottling Investment Group (BIG), said, "The Indian market has tremendous growth potential and we believe revitalising the system leadership structure will enable us to continue consolidating India as one of the most important growth engines for the company globally."

Murphy said, "The Company’s top priority is to 'create and deliver growth'. As outlined by our president and COO James Quincey a few weeks ago, The Coca-Cola Company is designing a new operating model to support the next stage of transformation into a growth-oriented, consumer-centred, total beverage company."

Muphy added, "We will wait and see how the final recommendations come through (on taxation). It's no secret that we have made representations to the government and made our point of view known to the importance of having a fair approach when it comes to taxation. We are one of the largest tax payers in India in the category. We appreciate and understand very well the overall objectives of the government. But we would like to see taxation being rolled out in a fair manner so that we are not singled out."

Coca-Cola Co has said that it would cut about 1,200 jobs as the beverage maker expands its savings target amid falling demand for fizzy drinks globally.

Shares of the Dow component were up marginally at $43.39.

Coca-Cola and rival PepsiCo Inc's soda sales have taken a hit as consumers in North America and Europe increasingly shun sugary drinks.

Coca-Cola said, Global soda sales fell 1 percent in the first quarter ended March 31.

The Atlanta-based company said it was increasing its cost-cutting target by $800 million in annualized savings and now expects to save $3.8 billion by 2019.

The majority of the additional savings would come from the corporate job reductions, incoming Chief Executive James Quincey said on a post-earnings conference call.

The company, which also reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly profit, said it expects to reinvest at least half of the $800 million saved to mainly boost growth in its non-carbonated drink business.

Nik Modi, Capital Markets Analyst, RBC, said, "We are not too worried about this quarter's miss. The important thing is that KO is raising its cost-saving estimates and we believe there is more to go."

The job cuts would start in the second half of 2017 and carry into 2018, Coca-Cola said.

Coca-Cola said it expects full-year adjusted profit to fall 1-3 percent, compared with the 1-4 percent decline it forecast in February.

The company is offloading much of its low-margin bottling business to reduce expenses, but costs associated with the refranchising have been higher than expected, weighing on profit.

The likeness of billionaire Warren Buffett is gracing Cherry Coke cans in China, where the company's largest investor enjoys a legendary reputation.

Coca-Cola announced over the weekend that a grinning cartoon portrait of the American business magnate would adorn cans and bottles of his favourite flavour after it was introduced in the country on March 10.

Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett's investment firm, is Coca-Cola's biggest shareholder with a 9.3 percent stake valued at about $17 billion.

"Incidentally, there is no compensation involved," Buffett told Yahoo Finance of the use of his image for "a limited promotional period."

The 86-year-old investor and philanthropist has been photographed on numerous occasions taking a swig of Cherry Coke, earning him the title of "best-known fan" from Coca-Cola chief executive Muhtar Kent.

In Communist-ruled China, where Chairman Mao portraits are as ubiquitous as brand-name logos, Buffett's business acumen has made him a celebrity and inspired thousands of Chinese investors to reportedly flock to Omaha, Nebraska, for Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting last year.

While the meeting was livestreamed around the world, simultaneous translation was only offered in Mandarin.

Buffett has in turn lauded China's "totally miraculous" growth.

As for his enduring appreciation of Cherry Coke -- he invested in Coca-Cola as early as 1985 -- Buffett admitted in his shareholders' letter last February that he consumes enough Coke and candy "to satisfy the weekly caloric needs of an NFL lineman."

"There's nothing like eating carrots and broccoli when you're really hungry and want to stay that way", he added.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Coca-Cola India have signed a memorandum of understanding to train 50,000 street food vendors under FSSAI's project 'Clean Street Food across India over next three years.

The MoU signed by Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI and Venkatesh Kini, president, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, seeks to contribute extensively to PM Narendra Modi's Skill India initiative.

As part of this initiative, Coca-Cola India will work closely with FSSAI in upgrading the eating out experience for the Indian populace at large. While Coca-Cola will be responsible for the program execution through its network of trainers and available infrastructure. FSSAI will ensure the relevance of the training content and will oversee the overall delivery.

The training module under the project will focus on the owners and employers at small food service outlets and street food vendors, mostly in the unorganised sector, to understand the basic tenets of food safety and hygiene.

Under the partnership the program will be rolled out in phased manner with the first leg to be initiated by mid-April in Ludhiana, Punjab. Over the next three years it plans to expand to 14 other locations through bottling plant network of Coca-Cola India covering 9 states including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, And grab Pradesh, West Bengal, Chandigarh, Chattisgarh and Delhi-NCR.

On March 2, a High Court ruling lifted the ban from PepsiCo on use of water from Thamirabarani river. But, PepsiCo is yet to resume operations in its plant in Tirunelveli.

A spokesperson from PepsiCo India said, “Our plant in Tirunelveli was shut down for over 6 months and the operations on the plant are yet to resume. 

We are working with the relevant stakeholders to resolve the issues and resume operations soon,”

The firm bottles drinking water Aquafina and manufactures Quaker oats out of the plant.

Both, PepsiCo and Coca Cola, were alleged of exploiting water from Thamirabarani river and faced a temporary ban on drawing water from the river. 

After a PIL was filed against the cola giants in November 2016, The Madras High Court had initially restrained both the companies from drawing water.

The ban has since been lifted.

Coca-Cola India is getting ready for a shift in strategy keeping in line with its global initiatives. 

The company that sells a bevy of sugary carbonated beverages here, including Thums Up, Coke, Limca and Sprite, has embarked on an exercise to align itself to changing consumer preferences.

At present, around 65% of Coca-Cola India's sales come from fizzy drinks, while the rest comes from still beverages such as Maaza, Minute Maid and others. 

But the company that was once obsessed with pushing colas, has decided to widen its portfolio of low-sugar drinks, since consumers are opting for healthier beverages.

Venkatesh Kini, President, Coca-Cola India and West Asia, said, "We are going to be a consumer centric beverage company. We will satisfy a consumer's beverage needs, based on his or her preference and not based on what we want to sell. Ten years from now if product 'A' is my largest selling product, I am fine as long as that is what consumers want. We will go with the consumer."

Kini said, "Last two or three years have seen a number of things that are unusual and unique. Rural demand declined on bad monsoons; excise taxes have gone up by 80%; in some states VAT has gone up by 50-100%. So, that caused us to increase prices. Demonetisation is the latest factor."