Bisleri

Bisleri International (formerly Parle Exports and Parle Bisleri) is an Indian multinational company which is best known for the eponymous brand of bottled water. The company was started in the 1970s by Ramesh Chauhan,[8] and sells bottled water and soft drinks.

Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd.
FormerlyParle Exports Pvt. Ltd.
TypePrivate
IndustryBeverages
PredecessorParle Group
Founded1970s (1970s)
FounderRamesh Chauhan
Headquarters
Mumbai, Maharashtra
,
India
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Ramesh Chauhan (Chairman)[1]
Zainab Chauhan (Director)
Jayanti Chauhan (Director)[2]
Angelo George (CEO)
ProductsMineral water
Carbonated drinks
Brands
RevenueIncrease ₹1,474.1 crore (US$198.93 million) (FY20)[7]
Increase ₹91.7 crore (US$12.38 million) (FY20)[7]
Websitewww.bisleri.com

Bisleri conducts most of its business in India, with 150 operational plants and a network of 6,000 distributors and 7,500 distribution trucks.[9] Bisleri also sells its products through its own e-commerce platform and other online retailers.[10]

History

Background

Bisleri was originally an Italian alcohol remedy drink created by 19th century inventor Felice Bisleri.[11] In 1965, Italian doctor Cesari Rossi and Indian businessman Khushroo Suntook introduced Bisleri bottled water in India by setting up a factory in Thane.[12][13] It was initially sold only in luxury hotels and restaurants in Mumbai[12] in glass bottles in two varieties – bubbly and still. In 1969, the Jayantilal Chauhan family of Parle Group acquired the struggling Bisleri brand, which was looking to exit the Indian market, for ₹4 lakh (about US$50,000 then).[14][12]

Early years

In the 1970s, Jayantilal Chauhan split his soft drinks business between his two sons; Prakash Chauhan obtained control of Parle Agro, while Ramesh Chauhan received Parle Exports (now Bisleri International).[15]

In 1976, Parle Exports launched Maaza, a fruit drink made of mango pulp.[16] After the exit of The Coca-Cola Company from India in 1977, Parle Exports entered the carbonated drinks segment with the launch of cola drink Thums Up, lemon flavoured drink Limca and orange flavoured drink Gold Spot.[17]

To complement its soft drinks portfolio, Parle Exports launched mineral water and carbonated water in the retail market under the previously acquired Bisleri brand name. According to Chauhan, the Italian name "added a dash of class to it." The water was initially sold in PVC bottles, before the company switched to PET bottles in the mid-1980s.[14]

Divestments

The economic liberalisation in India in 1991 saw the return of The Coca-Cola Company in the country. In 1993, Parle Exports sold its carbonated drinks brands Thums Up, Limca, Gold Spot, Citra and RimZim to The Coca-Cola Company for between ₹125 crore (about US$40 million) and ₹200 crore (about US$60 million).[18][16] In addition, it sold Maaza trademark in the Indian market to The Coca-Cola Company.[19] The deal also included a 15-year non-compete clause, which prevented Parle Exports from launching competing carbonated drinks until 2008.[20]

Bisleri 250ml bottles with Telugu language labels

In 1998, Ramesh Chauhan sold Delhi Bottling Company and Coolaid, the bottling companies of the five carbonated drink brands, to The Coca-Cola Company.[21]

In 2000, Ramesh Chauhan announced that Bisleri, which was being operated by eight different companies from 16 manufacturing locations, would be consolidated under a single entity.[22] As a result, Bisleri International was incorporated in 2001.[23]

In 2006, the company sold the trademark of Maaza in European and US markets to Infra Beverages and House of Spice respectively for undisclosed amounts.[16]

Present

In 2010, Bisleri launched a premium bottled water brand called Vedica, with water sourced from a spring in the Himalayan foothills in Uttarakhand.[24] In 2016, Bisleri re-entered carbonated drinks segment with the creation of Bisleri Pop under which it launched four varieties of soft drinks – Limonata, Fonzo, Spyci and Pina Colada.[25]

In 2021, Bisleri launched its line of hand sanitizer products.[26]

Bisleri has forged an exciting partnership with five teams of the prestigious Indian Super League (ISL) as the Official Hydration partner. The five prominent ISL teams include Mumbai City FC, Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Chennaiyin FC, and FC Goa.[27]

Product and legacy

Bisleri has a 32% market share in the organized bottled water segment,[28] in which it mainly competes with PepsiCo's Aquafina, The Coca-Cola Company's Kinley, Parle Agro's Bailley and IRCTC's Rail Neer.[29] Bisleri is often used as a generic term for bottled water in India.[12][28] Many knockoff brands of similar spelling and branding have emerged over the years.[30]

References
  1. "New CEO of Bisleri International tasked to take business to next level". The Economic Times. 2019-07-21. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  2. "Chip of the Old Block". Business World. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. "Bisleri to take mineral water brand Vedica overseas". The Hindu Business Line. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  4. Pinto, Viveat Susan (10 March 2018). "Bisleri International to launch a fizzy mango drink called Fonzo in April". Business Standard India. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  5. "Bisleri enters carbonated soft drinks segment with Pop". The Hindu Business Line. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  6. Sikdar, Shubhomoy (12 February 2020). "Bisleri banking on new recipe but intense competition may make going tough". Business Standard India. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  7. "BISLERI INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE LIMITED". Creditwatch. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  8. "Why Ramesh Chauhan is high on water". Business Today. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  9. "Bisleri makes global foray, inks supply pact with Dubai firm". Economic Times. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  10. Khicha, Preeti (30 September 2011). "Bisleri's growing thirst for volumes". Business Standard. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  11. "Explained: How Ramesh Chauhan made a splash with Bisleri and his plans to sell to Tata". Firstpost. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  12. "Making a splash: How Bisleri became synonymous with water in India". Deccan Herald. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  13. "Khushroo Suntook: Waving the baton". Mint. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  14. "And this is how Parle Bisleri began". Rediff. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  15. Balachandran, Manu (23 August 2017). "GST prompts India's iconic biscuit maker to look for a forgotten childhood favourite: toffees". Quartz. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  16. Vijayraghavan, Kala. "Bisleri sells Maaza brand for global mkts to bottlers". The Economic Times. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  17. Kumari, Nishi (4 February 2017). "A Look at the Brand Journey from Biscuits to Bisleri". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  18. "Coca-Cola, Parle Exports alliance on verge of collapse as Coke annuls part of agreement". India Today. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  19. Singh, Namrata; Nair-Ghaswalla, Amrita. "Bisleri serves legal notice on Coca-Cola". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  20. "Ramesh Chauhan re-enters soft drinks market after 23 years". Business Standard India. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  21. "Chauhan Sells Delhi Bottling Units To Coke". Business Standard. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  22. "Chauhan consolidating Bisleri before offloading stake". Rediff. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  23. "Bisleri International Pvt Ltd". Bloomberg. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  24. Bhushan, Ratna (29 December 2009). "Bisleri: Thirst for premium drive". The Economic Times. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  25. "Bisleri International re-enters soft drinks business, launches 'Bisleri Pop'". The Economic Times. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  26. "Bisleri eyes hygiene segment, launches hand purifiers". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  27. Jaffer, Askari (11 Oct 2023). "Bisleri Continues Its #CarryYourGame Campaign With Five Indian Super League Teams". The Hans India. Retrieved 11 Oct 2023.
  28. Rajgopal, Aishwarya. "The Journey Of Bisleri So Far - As It Reportedly Changes Hands From Parle Group To Tata Consumer Products". BQ Prime. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  29. "Tata Group may acquire stake, in talks with Bisleri". DNA India. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  30. "Belsri, Bislleri, Bilseri, Bisleri, Brislei". Forbes India. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
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