Brands
Coca-Cola aims $2.5 bn target in India by 2020
MUMBAI: Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) has announced its plan to become a $2.5 billion FMCG company by 2020. The company’s plan includes manufacturing and selling a wide range of beverages and modifications to its operating structure. It is also apportioning more resources to its frontline and field, both financial and human. This includes setting up of the premium division to service customer requirements around niche and premium beverages – smartwater, frozen fruit desserts, mixers and tonic water etc. and amalgamating the existing alternate beverages division to the mainstream distribution system.
HCCB has achieved significant scale in the sale and distribution of an extensive range of juices under the Minute Maid and Maaza brands and also sparkling and dairy products. As a part of its growth plan, the company aims to open 1 million new outlets by 2020. It currently distributes its products in 2 million outlets across 25 states.
The 2020 plan focuses on being consumer and customer centric, driving revenue growth, building a strong and agile system that has efficiency as its core and digitising the enterprise and unlocking the power of associates (employees).
In order to better flex and respond to changing consumer demands, HCCB will now operate under seven zones instead of the current five and will also reorganise its corporate centre resources to serve in the zones and factories. The company will have a leaner corporate office and a much-strengthened sales and supply chain organisation, thereby creating several hundred new jobs.
HCCB expects to fill most of these new jobs from within. The re-organisation will, however, make a few existing jobs redundant, the incumbents of which will be encouraged to apply for the new jobs that have been created.
“In my time as CEO, I have focused on listening to our employee base,” says Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages CEO Christina Ruggiero. “It was very clear from our research, conversations and market data that today we are not structured in a way that allows us to fully leverage our scale and market capabilities. Changes of this nature take time to seep in, but our associates are committed to ensuring that HCCB is key fixture in India’s consumer landscape and delivering the growth that we know is possible in India.”
By refining the operating structure and simplifying processes, HCCB solidifies its investment in India’s future with an infrastructure capable of favourable long-term impacts.
Brands
Reliance Consumer Products partners with Fazer for premium chocolates in India
MoU signed during Finnish President’s visit to leverage RCPL’s distribution for Fazer brands.
MUMBAI: Reliance just added Finnish chocolate to its sweet spot because when the land of saunas meets the land of spices, the result is a premium bar that melts borders. Reliance Consumer Products Limited (RCPL) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Finnish food company Fazer to manufacture, market and distribute Fazer’s premium branded chocolates across India. The agreement was formalised during Finnish President Alexander Stubb’s state visit to India on 7 March 2026.
The long-term strategic partnership combines Fazer’s heritage recipes, quality standards and global chocolate expertise with RCPL’s massive distribution network reaching nearly three million retail outlets nationwide. The collaboration aims to introduce Fazer’s well-known premium products to Indian consumers while strengthening business ties between the two nations.
Reliance Consumer Products Limited director T. Krishnakumar said, “By combining Fazer’s globally trusted brands and manufacturing excellence with RCPL’s local production capabilities, robust distribution network and deep consumer insights, we are well positioned to bring world-class products to Indian consumers and elevate the overall category experience.”
Fazer president and CEO Christoph Vitzthum added, “With RCPL handling commercialisation and distribution in India, we can establish a premium position in the chocolate market and create a foundation for a broader nationwide rollout.”
Since its launch in 2022, RCPL has steadily expanded in the confectionery segment by reviving legacy Indian brands such as Ravalgaon, Toffeeman, Pan Pasand and Lotus Chocolate Company. Fazer, a major player in the Nordics, Baltics, Poland and China with exports to over 40 countries, sees India’s fast-growing chocolate market as a key opportunity.
In a country where chocolate is no longer just a treat but a growing daily indulgence, this tie-up isn’t just about bars, it’s about blending Nordic precision with Indian scale to sweeten the next chapter of the confectionery story.
