Coke’s nutrition drinks soon at chemist shops

NEW DELHI: In a first, beverage company Coca-Cola is set to launch nutrition products such as electrolyte hydration drinks that will be sold overthe-counter at pharmacies.

“So far we have been very active in the refreshment space; we now want to be a serious player in nutrition,” company president T Krishnakumar told ET.

The category will be a first for Coca-Cola and such products are expected to be available in medical stores within two months, he said.

The maker of Thums Up cola, Minute Maid juice and Kinley water said the company may have a separate distribution model for the new product line.

“We are getting into serious play. We decided we need to have serious products as well to take the company’s journey forward,” Krishnakumar said.

Coca-Cola, which has now had three quarters of growth, will scale up “to keep relevance in India,” he said.

Separately, the company announced the launch of Aquarius Glucocharge, a ready-to drink glucose beverage with fruit juice, on Thursday. It said another brand –— Minute Maid Vitingo — will be scaled up to address micronutrient deficiency and malnutrition.

On consumption prospects, Krishnakumar said: “We see tailwinds of growth and the outlook is positive.”