"We will be coming into bottles for Nestea brand before the end of the year," an official in the know of the development said. Nestea is a product from Coca Cola's global 50:50 joint venture with FMCG giant Nestle -- Beverage Partners Worldwide. It is currently available in India in powdered pouches and through vending machines. The product is marketed in India by Nestle.
Globally, the JV sells other brands Nestea Vitao and Enviga. "Nestea is present in India for sometime now. It is available in sachets and vending machines. So the logical extension for us is into bottles," the official said.
While query sent to Nestle India remained unanswered, Coca-Cola declined to confirm the development.
"At Coca-Cola India we are constantly evaluating and exploring opportunities to further strengthen and diversify our beverage portfolio. However, as a matter of policy, we do not comment on rumour or speculation," a Coca Cola India spokesperson said.
Recently, Coke's rival firm Pepsico has also entered into a joint venture with the Tata group to foray into non- carbonated ready-to-drink beverages, focused on health and wellness.