Mukesh Ambani and Campa
When Mukesh Ambani had bought an old Cola company, it was realized that Mukesh Ambani had started his planning to destroy the big companies like Pepsi and Coke. Now that the figures have come out, that fear and feeling seems to be coming true. Mukesh Ambani’s campaign seems to be succeeding in establishing its presence in the country’s Rs 60 thousand crore soft drink market. From the kind of report that has come out, it is clear that there has been a huge decline in the market of Pepsi and Coke. Let us also tell you what scary truth the figures are pointing towards for Pepsi and Coke.
Campa, Lahori gave a big blow
New and smaller entrants in the Rs 60,000-crore soft drinks market, led by Reliance’s Campa and Belgian private equity firm Verlinvest-backed Lahori Zeera, have doubled their combined market share to about 15 per cent year-on-year in January-September 2025, snatching away the market share of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, which are around Rs 50,000 crore each, industry sources said citing NielsenIQ data. Has fallen by 85 percent. Sources said that most of the changes are being seen at larger price points of Rs 10. The special thing is that the increase in the share of new brands has been seen even when they have not reached the national level and the summer rains have also affected the falling sales.
Coke Pepsi’s share reduced
According to sources, the combined share of smaller players increased to around 15 per cent in January-September 2025 compared to around 7 per cent in the same period last year, while the share of the two major category leaders, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, cumulatively declined to 85 per cent from 93 per cent in the same period. Due to rainfall for most of the year, overall market growth has been stable. The market share of Campa and Lahori Zeera doubled, while that of Coca-Cola and Pepsi declined in the January–September period.
Big plan of Lahori cumin
Nikhil Doda, co-founder and COO of Lahori Zeera, declined to comment on the share rise, but said that we are planning to establish our presence at the national level next year, and will cover 80-90 per cent of pin codes. Currently, our brand is not available only in South. Fatehgarh Sahib-based Lahori, Punjab, which was started in 2017 by three cousins Saurabh Munjal, Nikhil Doda and Saurabh Bhutna under their company Archean Foods, is now setting up its third plant in Lucknow and plans to focus on institutional sales going forward. Doda said that we are introducing new variants like Lahori Aamras and Masala Cola. Our distribution is mainly based on general trade and we currently have more than 2,500 distributors.
How is Reliance planning?
Campa, owned by Reliance Consumer Products Limited (RCPL), the FMCG arm of Reliance Industries, has signed several agreements since the beginning of this year. These include a ‘co-powered by’ sponsorship for the Indian Premier League (IPL) on television and digital platforms this year, the appointment of actor Ram Charan as the brand ambassador and a special beverage partnership agreement with Hyderabad Metro Mail, under which it gets the rights to sell its beverage portfolio through vending machines, kiosks and retail outlets on the metro campus. Reliance, which had acquired Campa Cola in 2022 and re-introduced it in 2023, announced another partnership with motorsport team Ajit Kumar Racing as the “Official Energy Partner” for its Campa Energy Drink.
Challenge to Pepsi and Coke
Both the brands have forced the two major players Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to introduce new packs at the price of Rs 10 for their brands Coke, Thums Up, Sprite, Gatorade and Pepsi, which were earlier Rs 12 and above. A Mumbai-based analyst said that although there have been smaller B-brands and regional rivals like Bovonto and Jayanti Cola in the past, this is the first time that the monopoly of multinational companies has been shaken and is being seriously challenged. NielsenIQ and Reliance Consumer did not comment.
Tremendous competition in the market
“We believe competition is good and healthy and it will grow the market for all of us,” Ravi Jaipuria, chairman of Varun Beverages, PepsiCo’s largest bottling partner outside the US, said in a call on September 2025 quarter results, responding to an analyst’s question on increasing competition. Obviously, since they (Reliance) are in the market, there will definitely be some minor impact temporarily, but we believe that in the long run it will be very good for the industry.