The lovers of Campa Cola who missed the local brand that took the place of Coca-Cola can rejoice as Campa Cola is making a comeback. Campa Cola was created in the 1970s by the same Pure Drinks Group that had pioneered the Indian soft drinks industry by introducing Coca-Cola in India in 1949. They were the sole manufacturers and distributors of Coca-Cola until the 1970s.
After Coca-Cola left India, Pure Drinks Group and Campa Beverages started Campa Cola and dominated the Indian soft drinks industry in the absence of foreign competition. After the exit of Coca-Cola, through the late 1970s and ’80s, another group that dominated the soft drinks scene was Parle, with leading brands like Thums Up, Gold Spot and Limca.
Campa Cola is being retailed both in modern trade stores like Reliance Fresh and DMart, as also general stores. The emergence of PET bottles and cans is said to be a key reason for Campa Cola’s return. A Campa Cola factory was earlier housed in the heart of Mumbai, at Worli. This now has the Campa Cola Housing Society, which was in the news some years ago when it was locked in a legal battle with the BMC.
