Coca cola with a local flavour

The central licensing authority was almost convinced that the project lacked feasibility and Ramendra Prasad Barooah's dream almost seemed unattainable. However, it was the then Chief Minister of Assam, Bimala Prasad Chaliha who put his weight behind the project and finally Barooah saw his long cherished dream come true. Coca Cola made from water (derived locally) hit the local market in the month of July 1969 and the taste and quality qualified as per the global standards. People of the region welcomed the product. 

It will not be wrong to say that in the realm of soft drinks, the Coca-Cola brand still rules the roost to a large extent. There was a time between the sixties the seventies when this brand enjoyed monopoly and a cold drink would mean only coca cola and nothing else. The slogan adopted by the marketing agencies of the soft drink 'Thanda matlab Coca Cola' which meant 'If it is a cold drink it must be Coca Cola', speaks about the sheer popularity of the drink in a fairly comprehensive manner.

Although it may sound out of context, certain facts about this popular drink are rather interesting. It was in 1886 when for the first time this drink was sold in an American drugstore at Columbus (in the Georgia District) in glass tumblers. It was then the business of Coca Cola started but in a very small scale. John Penberton was the owner of the store and initially the drink was sold like fruit juice or other regular/similar beverages. The unique taste and thirst quenching quality made Coca Cola extremely popular and the increased popularity of this drink inspired the promoters to venture into a larger market. Such was the demand for the soft drink that production had to be eventually started on a large scale with the help of machines.

The mechanically produced and bottled Coca Cola hit the US market in March 12, 1894 and slowly it started conquering markets all over the world. Incidentally the money involved in the business of this brand of soft drink runs into billions and can be equated to the fiscal budget of a small country.

However, my intention of writing about Coca Cola is not to eulogise the soft drink or even endorse this popular soft drink. My basic objective is to bring to your knowledge the story (or rather history) behind the commissioning of a bottling plant of Coca Cola by an entrepreneur from this region. I want to touch upon the hardships which this enthusiastic local young man had to face and the sheer courage and tenacity that he demonstrated to overcome the obstacles.

It was young Ramendra Prasad Barooah a tea planter and an entrepreneur who cherished the dream of setting up a manufacturing and bottling plant of Coca Cola at Guwahati. However, obtaining a franchisee from the brand was no child's play and many in the business world thought that producing the soft drink in Assam was next to impossible. But Barooah was firm in his resolve. He bought a plot of land at Moukhuli near Satgaon for the factory and staff quarters and a proposal was sent to the concerned authorities for approval of the project. But as always, like any other venture proposed by a local entrepreneur, Barooah's proposed 'Beverages and Food Products' faced obstacles from lobbies. They did not want a local enterprise to take over the market that they ruled over for decades together. The soft drink business is a lucrative business and they were not ready to let a new player come into the game. It was resistance all the way and it was their intention to stop this venture. They tried as much as possible to stop Barooah from receiving a licence on some pretext or the other. Sometimes they tried to convince the central authorities by saying that water that is available in Assam was not proper for such a product. They also said that the market was not big enough for an unit of this magnitude.

The central licencing authority was almost convinced that the project lacked feasibility and Ramendra Prasad Barooah's dream almost seemed unattainable. However, it was the then Chief Minister of Assam, Bimala Prasad Chaliha who put his weight behind the project and finally Barooah saw his long cherished dream come true.

Coca Cola made from water (derived locally) hit the local market in the month of July 1969 and the taste and quality qualified as per the global standards. People of the region welcomed the product. The price of a 200 ml bottle was 60 paisa (this was 10 paisa higher than the cost of the drink in Delhi and the other metros). The locally made Coca Cola made brisk business till 1977 when in keeping with the policy of the Central Government Coca Cola and Pepsi were banned. This made Ramendra Prasad Barooah close down his bottling unit. The Coca Cola returned to India in 1993 but Ramendra Prasad Barooah had by then left for his abode in heaven.

By: Bhaskar Phukan

bhaskarphukan67@gmail.com

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