Bisleri facts for kids
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Formerly
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Parle Exports Pvt. Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Private | |
| Industry | Beverages |
| Predecessor | Parle Group |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founder | Ramesh Chauhan |
| Headquarters |
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India
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Ramesh Chauhan (Chairman) Angelo George (CEO) Jayanti Chauhan (Director) Zainab Chauhan (Director) |
| Products | Mineral water Carbonated drinks |
| Brands |
|
| Revenue |  ₹2,689 crore (US$460 million) (FY24) |
| ₹316 crore (US$54 million) (FY24) |
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Bisleri International is a big Indian company. It is famous for its bottled water, which is also called Bisleri. The company also sells other drinks. Ramesh Chauhan started this company in the 1970s.
Bisleri does most of its business in India. It has 150 factories and a huge network. About 6,000 people help distribute its products. They use 7,500 trucks to deliver drinks. You can also buy Bisleri products online.
Contents
The Story of Bisleri
How Bisleri Started
In 1966, an Italian doctor named Cesari Rossi and an Indian businessman named Khushroo Suntook brought Bisleri bottled water to India. They built a factory in Thane. The name "Bisleri" came from an Italian drink. This drink was created by an inventor named Felice Bisleri in the 1800s.
At first, Bisleri water was only sold in fancy hotels and restaurants in Mumbai. It came in glass bottles. There were two types: bubbly water and still water. In 1969, the Parle Group bought the Bisleri brand. Bisleri was not doing very well and wanted to leave the Indian market. Parle Group bought it for about 4 lakh Indian Rupees, which was around $50,000 back then.
The Early Years of Bisleri
In the 1970s, Jayantilal Chauhan split his soft drink business. His son Prakash Chauhan got control of Parle Agro. His other son, Ramesh Chauhan, received Parle Exports. This company is now known as Bisleri International.
In 1976, Parle Exports launched Maaza. This was a fruit drink made from mango pulp. In 1977, The Coca-Cola Company left India. After that, Parle Exports started making fizzy drinks. They launched a cola drink called Thums Up. They also made a lemon drink called Limca and an orange drink called Gold Spot.
To go with their soft drinks, Parle Exports started selling mineral water and carbonated water in stores. They used the Bisleri brand name for these waters. Ramesh Chauhan thought the Italian name "added a touch of class." The water was first sold in PVC plastic bottles. Later, in the mid-1980s, the company switched to PET plastic bottles.
Selling Off Brands
In 1991, India changed its economic rules. This allowed The Coca-Cola Company to return to the country. In 1993, Parle Exports sold its fizzy drink brands to The Coca-Cola Company. These brands included Thums Up, Limca, Gold Spot, Citra, and RimZim. The deal was worth between 125 crore and 200 crore Indian Rupees. This was about $40 million to $60 million at the time. They also sold the Maaza brand name in India to Coca-Cola.
The agreement also included a rule that lasted for 15 years. This rule stopped Parle Exports from making competing fizzy drinks until 2008. In 1998, Ramesh Chauhan sold his bottling companies, Delhi Bottling Company and Coolaid, to The Coca-Cola Company. These companies bottled the five fizzy drink brands.
In 2000, Ramesh Chauhan announced a big change. Bisleri was being run by eight different companies in 16 factories. He decided to bring them all together under one company. So, Bisleri International was officially formed in 2001. In 2006, the company sold the Maaza brand name in Europe and the US.
Bisleri Today
In 2010, Bisleri launched a special bottled water brand called Vedica. This water comes from a spring in the Himalayan mountains in Uttarakhand. In 2014, Bisleri tried an energy drink called Urzza. However, they stopped selling it three years later.
In 2016, Bisleri started making fizzy drinks again. They created Bisleri Pop. Under this brand, they launched four different soft drinks: Limonata, Fonzo, Spyci, and Pina Colada. In 2021, Bisleri also started selling hand sanitizer products. In 2023, Bisleri began selling its products in the United Arab Emirates.
Sports Partnerships
Bisleri is the "official hydration partner" for many sports teams. It partners with five teams in the Indian Super League (ISL). It also partners with five teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). This means Bisleri provides water for these teams.
Bisleri's Impact and Popularity
Bisleri is a very popular brand of bottled water. It has about 32% of the market share for organized bottled water. Its main competitors are PepsiCo's Aquafina, The Coca-Cola Company's Kinley, Parle Agro's Bailley, and IRCTC's Rail Neer.
In India, people often use "Bisleri" as a general word for any bottled water. This is like how some people say "Kleenex" for any tissue. Because Bisleri is so popular, many fake brands have appeared. These brands often have similar names and designs.
