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Reliance Plans ₹8,000 Crore Expansion to Boost Beverage Manufacturing Nationwide
business update - June 20, 2025

Reliance Plans ₹8,000 Crore Expansion to Boost Beverage Manufacturing Nationwide

Reliance Plans ₹8,000 Crore Expansion to Boost Beverage Manufacturing Nationwide

Reliance Consumer Products to launch up to 12 new plants in a major expansion drive, aiming to disrupt India’s beverage market with affordable alternatives.

Reliance Bets Big on Beverages with ₹8,000 Crore Investment

Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL), the fast-moving consumer goods division of Reliance Retail Ventures, is preparing to invest between ₹6,000 crore and ₹8,000 crore over the next 12 to 15 months. This large-scale investment signals Reliance’s strongest push yet into the beverages segment and is expected to significantly enhance its production capabilities across India.

This aggressive expansion strategy comes as the company seeks to challenge dominant global players like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, along with several local competitors. The planned investment will primarily be used to set up 10 to 12 new beverage manufacturing facilities nationwide, including both greenfield projects and co-packing plants developed through strategic partnerships.

Expansion to Add 12 New Manufacturing Units

Reliance’s upcoming investment will be its largest capital allocation in the consumer products space to date. The expansion blueprint includes the establishment of a mix of wholly owned greenfield plants and jointly operated co-packing units. This will allow RCPL to enhance its footprint in key regional markets and streamline product availability across the country.

As part of its partnership strategy, the company has already operationalized a manufacturing facility in Guwahati in collaboration with Jericho Foods and Beverages LLP. Another plant is reportedly under development in Bihar, further underlining the company’s commitment to building a robust production network.

At present, RCPL produces its beverage lineup across 18 facilities, each established and run in collaboration with strategic partners through joint venture arrangements. This model has enabled cost efficiency and faster scale-up, helping the company distribute its products more competitively.

Growing Beverage Portfolio Targets Mass Market

Launched in 2022, RCPL has rapidly grown into a formidable player in India’s FMCG landscape. Its beverage portfolio includes recognizable brands like Campa Cola, Sosyo, Spinner, RasKik, and Independence. These offerings are positioned strategically to appeal to value-conscious Indian consumers, with pricing that undercuts rivals by 20% to 40%.

A standout among its recent launches is Spinner, a sports drink priced at ₹10 and backed by former Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan. The brand has been designed to compete directly with premium-priced drinks like Gatorade and Sting, while offering a cost-effective alternative to the youth and fitness market.

Reliance is leveraging a bold cost-leadership approach as a key driver to deepen its reach across diverse consumer segments and expand its market footprint. The company has set its sights on achieving nationwide distribution by March 2027, with the beverage portfolio expected to reach 70% market coverage by the end of FY2025–26.

Strong Revenue Performance Despite Seasonal Challenges

RCPL has already started reaping the rewards of its growing presence in the FMCG sector. For the fiscal year 2024–25, the company recorded ₹11,500 crore in total revenue. Within this, flagship beverage brands Campa and Independence each crossed ₹1,000 crore in annual sales.

However, despite this performance, the company faced headwinds due to unexpected early monsoon rains, which affected peak summer demand for beverages. Even so, the strong year-on-year growth reflects consumer acceptance of its affordable, mass-market product range.

Beyond beverages, the company’s product line extends into packaged foods and personal care items, including brands such as Sil, Lotus Chocolate, and Ravalgaon. This diversification positions RCPL as a broad-based FMCG player, allowing it to tap into multiple consumption categories with localized appeal.

Joint Ventures Drive Faster Market Expansion

RCPL’s reliance on joint ventures as a manufacturing model has been instrumental in accelerating its expansion. Rather than building all production facilities from the ground up, the company has focused on leveraging partnerships with regional players to co-manufacture and distribute its products.

This approach not only lowers capital expenditure but also speeds up time-to-market—critical in India’s dynamic and competitive FMCG environment. With plans to replicate this model in upcoming plants, RCPL is poised to scale efficiently and respond to evolving consumer trends with agility.

Targeting Market Disruption Through Affordable Innovation

Reliance’s capital deployment approach signals a definitive ambition to disrupt and redefine the landscape of India’s beverage sector. By offering budget-friendly alternatives to legacy brands, RCPL is positioning itself to win over consumers across Tier II, III, and rural markets. Its pricing, product localization, and distribution goals align with the broader ambitions of Reliance Retail to dominate every corner of India’s consumption economy.

While RCPL is still building its brand recognition, the speed at which it is expanding its footprint and product lines suggests a calculated bid to disrupt entrenched market leaders. With affordability and availability as core pillars, the company is set to redefine how mass-market beverages are consumed in India.

Final Thoughts

Reliance Consumer Products’ planned investment of up to ₹8,000 crore signals a bold and ambitious move to capture a significant share of India’s beverage market. Through a mix of joint ventures, aggressive pricing, and regional expansion, RCPL is targeting widespread market access and production scalability.

Its growing beverage portfolio—led by brands like Campa Cola and Spinner—underscores Reliance’s commitment to building a diverse, competitive, and affordable consumer goods empire. As the company continues to roll out new facilities and strengthen its logistics, its goal of achieving full national availability by 2027 appears well within reach.

If Reliance executes on this plan effectively, the Indian FMCG sector may witness a major shift in the competitive landscape, with RCPL emerging as a dominant force in beverages and beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How Campa Cola Captured 10% of India's Beverage Market

How Campa Cola Captured 10% of India’s Beverage Market 

 

Reliance’s Iconic Brand Reboots with Low Pricing Strategy to Challenge Global Cola Giants

Campa Cola’s Comeback Journey

In India’s fiercely competitive soft drinks market, one name has made a surprising comeback—Campa Cola. Originally a popular name in Indian households during the 1970s and 80s, the cola brand has been brought back to life by Reliance Industries and is now gaining attention through bold pricing tactics and smart distribution strategies. In less than two years since its relaunch, Campa Cola has captured a notable 10% market share by employing a smart mix of affordability, rural penetration, and dealer incentives.

Disruptive Pricing as the Key Game-Changer

Major players such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola hold a strong grip on the Indian cola market. Finding unexplored marketplaces where these players aren’t already present is practically impossible. Price disruption was then Reliance’s only obvious way to differentiate itself. “The only realistic way to gain ground is to offer a price edge and incentivize distribution partners, as the traditional routes are already saturated,” said Ankur Bisen of Technopak Advisors.

This mirrors Reliance’s successful approach during the launch of Jio, where data services were offered at extremely low prices, reshaping the telecom industry. With Campa Cola, the strategy is simple: offer quality cola at a significantly lower price point and back it with better retailer margins.

The ₹10 Cola: Betting on Volume

Campa Cola is currently available for only ₹10, offering customers an incredibly budget-friendly option. Even with narrow margins—after deducting taxes, packaging, transportation, and retail reductions—Reliance is depending on high sales to make money. Experts think the price strategy might work if demand keeps increasing over the course of the next 12 to 18 months. Other businesses have already been forced to reconsider their products as a result of this pricing war.

To stay competitive, leading brands are promoting returnable glass bottles (RGBs) as a cost-effective option, while newer brands are opting for affordable plastic bottles (PET). As these brands scramble to adjust, their long-standing profit margins are taking a hit.

Rural Penetration and Shelf Space Gains

Avinash Chandani, Partner at Deloitte India, notes that disruptive pricing combined with lucrative dealer margins has enabled Campa Cola to quickly secure shelf space and gain traction in value-sensitive rural markets. This rural push is causing major FMCG players to revise their pricing, introduce smaller packs, and enhance distributor incentives.

Distribution: The Big Challenge Ahead

While Campa Cola’s pricing is attractive, Reliance faces an uphill battle in matching the deep distribution networks of established competitors. Industry experts say companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi already operate in over 4 million retail outlets across India and continue to grow at a rate of 10–15% annually. Replicating such reach is not an overnight task.
Brand strategist Harish Bijoor believes that to meet increasing demand—especially during the extreme summer season—Reliance must rapidly scale up its backend infrastructure. The brand has reportedly crossed ₹1,000 crore in market value, which signals the urgency for supply chain expansion to keep up with growing demand.

Changing Consumer Priorities: Price Over Brand

Another shift working in Campa Cola’s favor is the changing mindset of consumers. Increasingly, buyers are making decisions based on affordability and availability rather than brand loyalty. Chandani highlights this trend, pointing out that today’s price-sensitive consumers prioritize getting more value for their money. This shift in buying behavior has weakened the loyalty factor for traditional brands, opening the door for newer entrants like Campa Cola.

Response from Competitors: New Products and Health Trends
The battle for dominance is also leading to innovation among existing players. For instance, Amul has introduced low-cost products like ₹10 lassi to compete for consumer attention. Additionally, as health awareness rises, beverage brands are betting on low-sugar drinks and functional beverages to cater to evolving tastes.
This trend indicates a broader shift in market dynamics, where affordability, health consciousness, and accessibility are redefining what wins in the beverage space.

Final Thoughts: A Price War That’s Reshaping the Industry

Reliance has clearly disrupted the market by reviving Campa Cola, using bold pricing tactics and strategic product positioning. The brand has demonstrated that price, when combined with strong distribution and retailer incentives, can be a potent recipe for success by securing a strong 10% market share. However, Reliance needs to concentrate on growing its distribution and optimizing logistics if it wants to keep up this momentum and compete over the long run with multinational behemoths.

The current situation also emphasizes how critical it is to promptly adjust to shifting customer expectations. Businesses that maintain their agility will be better able to prosper in this rapidly changing environment, whether through price strategies or product innovation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The image added is for representation purposes only

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