Spectacular journey of Campa Cola, Indian soft drink market leader of 1980s

Campa was a popular brand, and its aerated drink was popular under the name Campa Cola. The entry of global beverage giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo into the Indian market in the early 1990s led the Campa brand to a slow death.

Pure Drinks Group, a Mumbai-based beverages manufacturer, launched the Campa Cola beverage brand in the 1970s. Pure Drinks Ltd was the sole distributor of Coca-Cola in India from 1949 to the 1970s until it launched its cola drink under Campa Cola. Pure Drinks group, in association with Campa Beverages Pvt Ltd, launched Campa Cola and soon became the market leader in the soft drinks segment as there was no competition. After the launch of the cola-based drink, it also introduced Campa Orange, an orange-flavoured aerated drink.

The brand’s slogan, “The Great Indian Taste”, was a big hit at the time as it appealed to the nationalist sentiment.

The group had two bottling plants in Mumbai and Delhi. During the 1980s, Campa Cola and Campa Orange were the market leaders, as there was almost no competition. After the entry of international giants like Pepsico and Coca-cola into the Indian market, after the liberalisation gained pace in the early 1990s, Campa Cola faced tough competition and started to decline.

The offices and bottling plant of Campa brand in Delhi were closed in 2000. Until 2009 it had a presence only in some small towns in a few states.