Reliance Consumer Products (RCPL) has entered into a strategic partnership with Ceylon Beverage International, one of the largest beverage can and filling companies in Sri Lanka promoted by former cricketer Muthiah Muralitharan, to co-pack and manufacture its Campa soft drinks cans, executives aware of the developments said.

Ceylon Beverage International will co-pack cans for the Campa soft drinks portfolio in India. While the co-packing partnership has been formalised, it is close to formalising a deal to set up manufacturing units in India to make Campa’s soft drinks.

Reliance Consumer Products is also likely to get distribution rights for some of Ceylon Beverage International’s brands in India as part of partnership, the executives said.

The Ceylon Beverages’ plant is equipped with a capacity of filling 300 million beverage cans per year and has partnerships with international, national, and regional companies, according to information on the company website.

“While Reliance is currently importing the cans of Campa from Sri Lanka, Ceylon Beverage International plans to also set up manufacturing units in India for RCPL,” one of the executives said.

“Additionally, RCPL may also get distribution rights for some of Ceylon Beverages’ brands in India as part of the partnership,” he added.

Emails seeking comment from offices of Reliance Consumer Products and Ceylon Beverage International did not elicit a response till press time Sunday. This is Campa’s first scale manufacturing partnership in India for cans.

Ceylon Beverages was established in 2020 as a beverage processing and filling company, supplying cans to beverage companies in Sri Lanka as well around the world, its website states. The companies it partners with include those making mineral water, energy drinks, soft drinks, hot fill juices and flavoured milk in cans, with hourly output more than 48,000 cans and 34,000 bottles, the website says.

Muralitharan, a world record breaking spin bowler, is now a coach and a biopic on the cricketer is set to be released soon.

RCPL, the FMCG arm of Reliance Retail Ventures, is rapidly scaling up reach with small and mid-sized distributors as it plans to ramp up Campa’s presence nationally, to escalate competition with Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

Reliance Retail acquired Campa last year from Pure Drinks group for an estimated ₹22 crore.

It also acquired a 50% stake in Gujarat-headquartered Sosyo Hajoori Beverages and its mainstay beverage brand Sosyo in January this year. Besides Sosyo, Hajoori’s other brands include Kashmira, Lemee, Ginlim, Runner and Opener. Sosyo is a dominant player in Gujarat.