Ambani's Reliance brings India's 'Campa Cola' to UAE in first launch

Dubai: One of India’s most recognizable brand names, ‘Campa Cola’ is ready to strike a chord with shoppers in the UAE.

Campa Cola had a huge following along with another Indian origin cola beverage ‘Thums Up’ during the late 1970s and 1980s, a period when Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola were absent from India.

Now, after its re-launch in India in 2023, Campa Cola is ready for action in the UAE. This comes after Reliance Consumer Products ltd, part of Mukesh Ambani owned Reliance Industries bought the rights for Campa Cola in 2022 and launched it a year later. (Thums Up already retails in the UAE market.)

Reliance Consumer Products Ltd. has tied up with Agthia, the Abu Dhabi headquartered F&B group to get the brand in supermarkets, shops and wherever possible. The UAE represents a huge market for Indian F&B brands, and represents a platform to get these into other Gulf retail territories too.

“Yes, the UAE represents the brand’s first global entry,” said Ketan Mody, Chief Operating Officer at Reliance Consumer Products. “Our intent is clearly to make this into a global product.”

At a later date, there are plans to use a UAE-based bottler for the brand. Currently, Reliance operates Campa Cola production from multiple bottling plants in India.

"When we bought the brand from the previous owner, we made sure the Campa Cola formula and taste was made for today's tastes," said Mody. (Before the Reliance buy in 2022, the brand was still available but on a much reduced presence and production from its 1980s' heydays.)

In the UAE, the Campa portfolio will initially include Campa Cola, Campa Lemon and Campa Orange and Cola Zero.

According to Alan Smith, CEO of Agthia Group: "This iconic brand holds deep nostalgia for many, and we believe it will strongly resonate with the significant Indian expatriate community in the UAE, and local consumers alike.