Small local brands with deeper reach & lower price give Pepsi, Coke a run for their fizz

[luckych]

Small local brands with deeper reach & lower price give Pepsi, Coke a run for their fizz

There was a time not long ago when strategic discussions between global and Indian teams of beverages giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo mostly centred on their arch rival. Not anymore. One major topic of such meetings nowadays is the increasing threat from small, local brands.

Hajoori & Sons, maker of 'Sosyo' aerated drinks, for example, claims it has 29 per cent share in Gujarat while in Uttar Pradesh smaller brands have mopped up 22 per cent share this summer, according to bottling sources.

"We can no longer ignore these local brands. They are a huge threat and the companies are worried," said an official who works closely with Coca-Cola. Both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo chose to shrug off the competition from small players.

Delhi-based Rahul Beverages, selling City Cola in the city since 1995, and Campa Cola, and Bareilly-based Boss Beverages, selling soft drinks in five flavours of 'cola', 'orange', 'limca', 'sprite' and 'dew', are among other small brands increasing share in the market.

Industry insiders said even cricketer Virender Sehwag's family is investing in a beverages factory in the North. Sehwag could not be reached for comment or confirmation. Global brand RC Cola, too, has made a quiet entry, selling in the north, east and Andhra Pradesh.


Read more at:
Small local brands with deeper reach & lower price give Pepsi, Coke a run for their fizz - The Economic Times

 

[RPK]

Kalimark Bovonto

Bovonto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

in Tamilnadu

 

[Arsalan]

The same is the case here in Pakistan. There was an old brand PAKOLA here and that was good, now there is another one GORMET and have literally given Coke and Pepsi a run for there money. IN cities where Gormet have launched the share of Coke/Pepsi have fallen by MORE thatn 50%

 

[Ragnar]

I tried "Indian Challenge" recently in Chennai, cos RC was not available- nor was any other decent brand. Tasted horrible. I think these other useless brands (colas) also have nexus with local politicians to limit coverage of big brands. This is particularly true in Tamil Nadu, where corruption permeates every level of society.

 

[nForce]

Stop drinking Cola.. It will ruin your teeth. Drink fruit juice instead.

Good quality scotch is also okay.
But don't add soda, only chilled water.

 

[Soulspeek]

I too have heard about Pakola Fanta in India. That was about 10 years back.

The same is the case here in Pakistan. There was an old brand PAKOLA here and that was good, now there is another one GORMET and have literally given Coke and Pepsi a run for there money. IN cities where Gormet have launched the share of Coke/Pepsi have fallen by MORE thatn 50%

 

[third eye]

Old classic. Still available in parts of New Delhi & across Old Delhi

The Codd-neck bottle, better known as banta, is 141 years old and forgotten in most parts of the world, but in Delhi it refuses to retire.

It is not taste that sells the banta. The entire weight of its popularity rests on the fascination of a marble-stoppered bottle in the 21st century and the brief but satisfying whoosh of carbon dioxide escaping when the marble is pushed to unseal it. That's probably also why Delhi's quintessential street drink will survive the competition from newer entrants on the soft drink scene.

Anmol Lemon, a banta bottling plant in the interiors of Bhogal, Jangpura, buys a crate (24) of new "Codd's neck bottles," obsolete in the age of vacuum packaging and screw tops, for Rs 700. It's the most expensive part and should've been the first one to be dropped from a cost-effective production process. "But no one will buy the drink if we change the bottle," says Babulal, manager at Anmol, "the drink is named after the marble."

The bottles come from Khandelwal Glassworks in Sasni, near Aligarh. Traders , operating from the labyrinthine lanes behind Novelty Cinema near Old Delhi railway station, act as local distributors. "About 10-15 factories take from us but we don't supply regularly. Anyone who comes here can buy," says Jitender Sachdeva, owner of Sewa Singh Enterprises, one of seven-eight dealers in the area.

No one keeps count of the number of banta sellers or bottling plants in the city. "There may be about 300," estimates Babulal . The biggest, apparently, is Arora Lemon in Tagore Garden. Then there are mid-sized enterprises such as

Anmol that supply to 40-50 sellers in Sarojini Nagar, Lajpat Nagar (Gupta Market), Ashram and Bhogal. There are also Muskaan Bottling and Baba Lemon (Sarai Kale Khan), Shakti Lemon (Vasant Gaon) and Mourya Lemon (just moved from Dilshad Garden to Sangam Vihar). Owners of Pandit Ved Prakash Lemon Wale, opposite Town Hall in Chandni Chowk, do both the bottling and selling themselves . Chinibhai says his family has run the shop for at least 150 years. "The bottles were introduced in 1902," he says, "We get ours from Ahmedabad."

The constant stream of customers at Ved Prakash and the crowds around banta carts in North Campus may suggest otherwise but banta sellers and their suppliers-say business has slowed to a trickle in the last few years.

"It's dropped by as much as 70%," says AK Mehta of Mehta Trading Company behind Novelty-the sales hub for the flavouring agents and preservatives too. The decrease in sales is attributed to "soda shops" and bottled fizzy drinks aggressively marketed by the multinationals.

The skewed economics of hawker trade is getting in the way too, making the mid-scale bottler's financial health precarious, scaling-up practically impossible and the threat of being swallowed by the competition a real one. Anmol charges Rs 2.5 per bottle from a vendor who may sell it at Rs 10 to Rs 20. Street vendors can't be asked to sell the banta any cheaper than they already do-most are unlicensed and have to keep a variety of authorities happy to stay in business.

The other factor, Mehta points out, is hygiene. Banta is still bottled the way it's been done for decades - upside down in "plants" that would make any self-respecting sanitation inspector shudder-but now, along with the bottle, it has a badass reputation to recommend it.

It's not for a delicate constitution, spoilt by drinks packed in sanitized environments and endorsed by superstars. You've earned your street-cred if you've had a banta-had it poured into a glass with crushed ice and 'masala' added for that extra kick-and didn't buckle under in a few days. You don't just take or leave a banta; you need to work up to it.

 

[Arsalan]

I too have heard about Pakola Fanta in India. That was about 10 years back.

yes and it lost its market considerable, not only two three flavors are available and in them only one is common but Gourmet is the new killer, it have absolutely destroyed Pepsi and Coke in cities like Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Lahore where they have set up there shops. I hope they expand there network throughout the country, the taste is also great!!

Old classic. Still available in parts of New Delhi & across Old Delhi

The Codd-neck bottle, better known as banta, is 141 years old and forgotten in most parts of the world, but in Delhi it refuses to retire.

It is not taste that sells the banta. The entire weight of its popularity rests on the fascination of a marble-stoppered bottle in the 21st century and the brief but satisfying whoosh of carbon dioxide escaping when the marble is pushed to unseal it. That's probably also why Delhi's quintessential street drink will survive the competition from newer entrants on the soft drink scene.

Anmol Lemon, a banta bottling plant in the interiors of Bhogal, Jangpura, buys a crate (24) of new "Codd's neck bottles," obsolete in the age of vacuum packaging and screw tops, for Rs 700. It's the most expensive part and should've been the first one to be dropped from a cost-effective production process. "But no one will buy the drink if we change the bottle," says Babulal, manager at Anmol, "the drink is named after the marble."

The bottles come from Khandelwal Glassworks in Sasni, near Aligarh. Traders , operating from the labyrinthine lanes behind Novelty Cinema near Old Delhi railway station, act as local distributors. "About 10-15 factories take from us but we don't supply regularly. Anyone who comes here can buy," says Jitender Sachdeva, owner of Sewa Singh Enterprises, one of seven-eight dealers in the area.

No one keeps count of the number of banta sellers or bottling plants in the city. "There may be about 300," estimates Babulal . The biggest, apparently, is Arora Lemon in Tagore Garden. Then there are mid-sized enterprises such as

Anmol that supply to 40-50 sellers in Sarojini Nagar, Lajpat Nagar (Gupta Market), Ashram and Bhogal. There are also Muskaan Bottling and Baba Lemon (Sarai Kale Khan), Shakti Lemon (Vasant Gaon) and Mourya Lemon (just moved from Dilshad Garden to Sangam Vihar). Owners of Pandit Ved Prakash Lemon Wale, opposite Town Hall in Chandni Chowk, do both the bottling and selling themselves . Chinibhai says his family has run the shop for at least 150 years. "The bottles were introduced in 1902," he says, "We get ours from Ahmedabad."

The constant stream of customers at Ved Prakash and the crowds around banta carts in North Campus may suggest otherwise but banta sellers and their suppliers-say business has slowed to a trickle in the last few years.

"It's dropped by as much as 70%," says AK Mehta of Mehta Trading Company behind Novelty-the sales hub for the flavouring agents and preservatives too. The decrease in sales is attributed to "soda shops" and bottled fizzy drinks aggressively marketed by the multinationals.

The skewed economics of hawker trade is getting in the way too, making the mid-scale bottler's financial health precarious, scaling-up practically impossible and the threat of being swallowed by the competition a real one. Anmol charges Rs 2.5 per bottle from a vendor who may sell it at Rs 10 to Rs 20. Street vendors can't be asked to sell the banta any cheaper than they already do-most are unlicensed and have to keep a variety of authorities happy to stay in business.

The other factor, Mehta points out, is hygiene. Banta is still bottled the way it's been done for decades - upside down in "plants" that would make any self-respecting sanitation inspector shudder-but now, along with the bottle, it has a badass reputation to recommend it.

It's not for a delicate constitution, spoilt by drinks packed in sanitized environments and endorsed by superstars. You've earned your street-cred if you've had a banta-had it poured into a glass with crushed ice and 'masala' added for that extra kick-and didn't buckle under in a few days. You don't just take or leave a banta; you need to work up to it.

Love this one, we call it GOLI WALI BOOTAL or BANTAY WALI BOTAL

 

[third eye]

Love this one, we call it GOLI WALI BOOTAL or BANTAY WALI BOTAL

Its called Banta or Bantewali Botal here too.

Unfortunately people have become way too brand conscious and icky about ' sealed ' stuff.

 

[livingdead]

what about quality control? big companies are quite conscious of their image and bad news, that alone will motivate them not to play with safety.

 

[IND151]

what about quality control? big companies are quite conscious of their image and bad news, that alone will motivate them not to play with safety.

Soft drinks are not very good for health according to many experts.

People should avoid them as much as possible.

Drink them, but in limit.

 

[Arsalan]

Its called Banta or Bantewali Botal here too.

Unfortunately people have become way too brand conscious and icky about ' sealed ' stuff.

to hell with them man, the road side food rocks!! Be it Bantay wali Botal, Faluda, Chali ( corn) or whatever!!

 

[livingdead]

Soft drinks are not very good for health according to many experts.

People should avoid them as much as possible.

Drink them, but in limit.

its not really hot here, I rarely feel that thirsty.. now a days its only with heavy meal like biriyani for example.

 

[third eye]

Be it Bantay wali Botal, Faluda, Chali ( corn) or whatever!!

I enjoy all of these except Faluda - I like my Kulfi without it,

 

[Ragnar]

I used Cola only for mixing, and now not even that. Plain soda is better with whisky. I find cola sickeningly sweet and intolerable, except with rum. Rum cannot be mixed with anything else.