Reliance Consumer expands beverage portfolio with Sun Crush juice launch in India 

INDIA – Reliance Consumer Products (RCPL) has acquired exclusive rights to market and distribute premium juice brand Sun Crush in India from Ceylon Beverage International, a company owned by former Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan.  

With this agreement, RCPL has commenced local production of the brand and entered India’s retail juice market to compete with established players such as Dabur’s Real, ITC’s B Natural, Amul Tru, Paperboat, and PepsiCo’s Tropicana. 

As part of its strategy, Reliance has positioned Sun Crush at Rs 20 (US$0.23) for a 200 ml bottle, adopting a competitive pricing model similar to its approach in the soft drinks and energy drinks segments.  

Industry analysts expect this pricing to intensify competition in the packaged juice sector, where leading brands have similarly priced offerings. 

Reliance first entered the juice market two years ago with the acquisition of RasKik from entrepreneur Vikas Chawla, former managing director of Coca-Cola South East Europe. 

The company has also collaborated with Ceylon Beverage International on other ventures, including contract packaging for Campa and co-developing the energy drink Spinn India. 

Additionally, RCPL holds distribution rights for various energy drinks and juices in India. 

India’s beverage market, encompassing carbonated soft drinks, fruit-based beverages, juices, and bottled water, is currently valued at Rs 67,000 crore (US$7.76M) and is projected to grow to Rs 1.47 trillion (US$17B) by 2030, according to a report by think tank ICRIER. 

In February, RCPL entered the sports hydration segment with Spinner, a beverage co-created with Muttiah Muralitharan.  

Available in Lemon, Orange, and Nitro Blue flavors, Spinner was launched to cater to India’s expanding energy and sports drink market. 

Dinesh Taluja, Chief Financial Officer of Reliance Retail Ventures, emphasized the company’s focus on strengthening its consumer brands.  

“We are beginning to invest in marketing to accelerate the presence of the consumer brands business,” he stated. 

Reliance’s FMCG division, which includes brands such as Lotus Chocolates, Maliban biscuits, and personal care products under Independence and Good Life, aims to expand its retail network to one million outlets by FY25. 

In addition to its domestic expansion, RCPL has extended the reach of Campa’s beverage portfolio in Northeast India with a new bottling plant in Guwahati, Assam.  

Spanning over 6 lakh sq. ft., it is one of the largest beverage manufacturing units in the region, with an annual production capacity exceeding 10 crore litres of carbonated soft drinks and 18 crore litres of packaged drinking water. 

Furthermore, Reliance has partnered with Agthia Group to launch Campa Cola in the United Arab Emirates, marking its foray into the international market. 

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