Reliance brings back Campa Cola of the 70s

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance re-launched the 50-year-old iconic beverage brand Campa Cola in a new contemporised avatar as it looks to ramp up its own consumer goods offering to take on competition from Adani, ITC and Unilever.

In January this year, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd, the fast-moving consumer goods arm of Reliance Retail, acquired a 50 per cent stake in Gujarat-based carbonated soft drinks and juice maker Sosyo Hajoori Beverages Pvt Ltd. It had previously acquired the Campa brand from Pure Drinks group for a reported Rs 22 crore.

And now, it has re-launched the Campa brand of beverages.

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"The Campa portfolio will initially include Campa Cola, Campa Lemon and Campa Orange in the sparkling beverage category," the company said in a statement, adding the cold beverage portfolio will initially be available in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and will be rolled out across the country in stages.

Campa-Cola was a popular soft drink brand in the 1970s and 1980s but fizzed out with the entry of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

Pure Drinks Group was the sole distributor of Coca-Cola in India from 1949 to the 1970s. It launched its own brand Campa Cola in the 1970s, and soon became the market leader in the soft drinks segment. Later on, it introduced Campa Orange, the orange-flavoured aerated drink.

The firm, which had two bottling plants in Mumbai and Delhi, sold the beverages with the slogan 'The Great Indian Taste' but lost business in the 1990s with the opening up of the economy.

Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL), the statement said, is bringing "back 'The Great Indian Taste' with Campa".

The re-launch of Campa is part of Ambani's bid to accelerate penetration into the nation's rapidly growing consumer goods market with Reliance's own versions of products, ranging from soap and shampoo to cookies and cola.

Reliance Retail runs the country's largest network of brick-and-mortar stores with around 17,225 sites, selling everything from groceries to electronics.

It already owns about two dozen consumer goods brands, including the Good Life and Best Farms ranges of staple foods, such as rice and other grains, Snac Tac snacks, Glimmer cosmetics, Yeah! fizzy drinks and fruit juice label Sosyo.

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"With this launch, RCPL further strengthens its versatile FMCG portfolio, which comprises heritage brands from Sosyo Hajoori, confectionary range from Lotus Chocolates, Sri Lanka's leading biscuit brand Maliban, as well as daily essentials under its own brands, including Independence and Good Life, among others," the statement said.

RCPL is the FMCG arm and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL).

The launch of Campa portfolio "is in line with the company's strategy to promote homegrown Indian brands that not only have a rich heritage but also boast a deep-rooted connect with Indian consumers due to their unique tastes and flavours", it said.

Speaking on the launch, RCPL spokesperson said, "By presenting Campa in its new avatar, we hope to inspire consumers across generations to embrace this truly iconic brand and trigger a new excitement in the beverage segment. While older family members will have fond memories of the original Campa and cherish the nostalgia associated with the brand, younger consumers will love the crisp refreshing taste".

"With a rapidly evolving Indian market throwing up more consumption occasions, we are truly excited to bring back Campa, which is yet another bold step forward for our expanding FMCG business."

With 50 years of rich heritage, Campa's contemporary cut-through character is set to offer Indian consumers 'The Great Indian Taste' this summer, the statement said.

Five thirst-quenching pack sizes will be offered under the Campa range for several consumption occasions: a 200ml immediate consumption pack, 500ml and 600ml on-the-go sharing packs and 1,000ml and 2,000ml home packs.

The company, however, did not indicate the pricing of Campa.

"RCPL's roll-out of its cold beverage portfolio across India, starting with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, is aligned with the company's overall vision of offering value and choice to Indian consumers through high-quality products at affordable price points," it added.