Limca becomes Rs 2800 crore brand; how Ramesh Chauhan turned a lemonade drink into India's favorite lime beverage
Ramesh Chauhan (L) created Limca in 1970. (File)
'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,' nobody personifies this motivational idiom, both literally and metaphorically, than Ramesh Chauan– the man who created Limca, India's favorite lemony beverage, which has recently achieved a major milestone by becoming a brand worth Rs 2800 crore.
Let us delve into the remarkable history of Limca and how an Indian entrepreneur turned a modest lemonade drink into the country's favourite lime beverage: How Ramesh Chauhan established Limca?
In 1970, Ramesh Chauhan, the man famous for creating the popular bottled water brand 'Bisleri', stumbled upon the idea of creating a refreshing beverage that would be more suited to the Indian palate and climate, instead of other soft drinks such as colas which dominated the Indian market at the time.
Chauhan realised that lemonade was the preferred drink in India during the blistering summers, and prepared a zingy lemonade formula that was uniquely Indian in taste and preparation. But even though Limca was first formulated in 1970, it took seven long years to enter production because emergency was imposed in the country in 1975.
Ultimately, after the emergency was lifted in 1977, Limca entered factory production and was initially manufactured by Delhi-based Lima Limca Limited, who bottled the refreshing beverage in both glass and plastic bottles. Limca's unique marketing strategy
Apart from its refreshing taste, the success of Limca is also attributed to its aggressive marketing strategy, which was targeted towards India's young population with catchy slogans like 'Limit to lagao', that inspired the youth to challenge their limitation in an era where India was emerging as regional economic power in South Asia.
Since then, Limca has periodically changed its taglines, such as its current one 'Chadha le Taazgi', but every catchphrase is meant to convey the same message of freshness and zingy taste which Limca represents. How Coca-Cola acquired Limca?
After the economic liberalization in 1992, global brands started pouring into the Indian market. This included the American beverage giant Coca-Cola, who received a rude shock when it realised that local beverage brands like Limca, Thums Up, and Gold Spot– all owned by Parle Agro's Ramesh Chauhan at the time– were outselling its products by a significant margin.
However, instead of competing with these popular Indian brands, Coca-Cola decided to acquire them to expand its product portfolio in the country. According to market experts, the primary reason behind Coca-Cola purchase of Limca and other local beverage brands was to minimise competition.
In 1993, Coca-Cola purchased Limca, and now the popular lime beverage has become a brand worth Rs 2800 crore, according to the company's filings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Involved in development of ballistic missiles': FATF calls out Pakistan for flouting norms; India may use dossier to push for sanctions
A new report from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has cited a case involving Pakistan's missile development programme, referencing a shipment seized by Indian customs officials in 2020 that was bound for Port Qasim in Karachi. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The FATF case study outlines how dual-use goods, including equipment critical for ballistic missile technology, were mis-declared in export documents and linked directly to Pakistan's National Development Complex, which is known to be involved in the development of long-range ballistic missiles. The FATF report reveals that Indian investigators intercepted a cargo ship falsely declaring autoclaves, equipment used for high-energy materials and missile motor components. 'The Bill of Lading of the seized cargo provided evidence of the link between the importer and the National Development Complex,' the report noted. This latest disclosure comes as FATF increases its scrutiny of state-sponsored terrorism, particularly following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which left 26 dead. In a public condemnation, FATF said: 'This, and other recent attacks, could not occur without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters.' As per PTI sources, India is likely to use this FATF disclosure in its dossier to push for Pakistan's return to the FATF grey list. The upcoming Asia Pacific Group meeting in August and the FATF plenary in October may see renewed calls for sanctions or monitoring. According to officials cited by PTI, the inclusion of 'state-sponsored terrorism' in the FATF's upcoming analysis marks a significant step in acknowledging Pakistan's involvement in funding and facilitating terror operations. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The incident flagged by FATF, which occurred in February 2020 at Kandla port, saw authorities act on intelligence regarding a suspicious Hong Kong-flagged ship, Da Cui Yun, that had departed from China's Jiangyin port, TOI had reported. Officials seized a massive pressure chamber described as a pipe-like object, 35-40 feet in length, now confirmed to have potential ballistic missile applications. Experts from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) joined a high-level investigation into the cargo, amid tight-lipped responses from customs due to the national security implications. Also read: The FATF report also highlighted the growing global risk from proliferation financing (PF), especially concerning state and non-state actors acquiring dual-use technologies for weapons of mass destruction (WMD). 'The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related financing represents a significant threat to global security and the integrity of the international financial system,' the report warns, adding that failure to implement effective controls could allow actors to exploit weaknesses in global export and financial systems.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Temporary relief? Sensex soars 1,046 points on foreign buying
Sensex soars 1,046 points on foreign buying (Picture credit: ANI) MUMBAI: Strong foreign fund buying supported by speculators' short covering late in the session on Friday led to a four-figure points jump in the Sensex. After opening marginally higher, the benchmark picked up gains through the session to close 1,046 points or 1.3 per cent higher above the 82,400-point mark. On the NSE, Nifty too followed a similar trend and closed 244 points or 1 per cent higher at 25,038 points. Foreign investors, after showing mixed trends for the last few sessions, turned strong buyers on Friday with a net inflow of Rs 7,704 crore. Domestic funds, on the other hand, were net sellers at Rs 3,050 crore, BSE data showed. According to Prashanth Tapse of Mehta Equities, markets witnessed consolidation after the recent spell of subdued trend, as strong European cues and positive Dow Futures triggered a massive rally in local benchmarks. "Investors also resorted to short covering ahead of next week's monthly derivatives expiry." Tapse, despite Friday's gains, is cautious about the market direction since a number of headwinds have a chance of impeding the northward run. Investors should remain cautious due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, as any spike in crude oil prices owing to escalation in tension could fuel uncertainty and spook markets, he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Clean Warehouses = Safe Workplaces SearchMore Learn More Undo Late on Friday, Brent crude was trading at about $76.7/barrel while WTI crude was slightly above the $75 mark. Both were trading around their four-month high levels. The day's session in the domestic market made investors richer by nearly Rs 5 lakh crore, with BSE's market capitalisation now at Rs 447.7 lakh crore. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
Sebi gears up for use of AI, machine learning on Dalal Street
Represenatative image Mumbai : Markets regulator Sebi has proposed a five-point plan for adoption and use of artificial intelligence-machine learning (AI/ML)based technologies in the Indian securities market. Those are model governance, investor protection disclosure, testing framework, fairness & bias, and data privacy & cyber security measures. The regulator has come out with a consultation paper titled 'Guidelines for responsible usage of AI/ML in the Indian securities market' that has detailed the proposals. The paper was published after a working group of experts from the field gave their recommendation on the use of AI/ML. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
