Ramesh Chauhan on Scale Economics

Wikipedia records that Bisleri International, formerly Parle Exports and Parle Bisleri, is an Indian multinational best known for its eponymous bottled water brand. Ramesh Chauhan started the company in 1969.

After The Coca-Cola Company exited India in 1977, Parle Exports entered the carbonated drinks segment with Thums Up (cola), Limca (lemon-flavoured) and Gold Spot (orange-flavoured). To complement its soft drinks portfolio, Parle launched mineral and carbonated water under the Bisleri brand name — the first time the water business was commercially pursued, in PVC bottles initially, switching to PET in the mid-1980s.

Wikipedia notes Bisleri holds about a 32% market share in the organized bottled water segment, competing with PepsiCo's Aquafina, The Coca-Cola Company's Kinley, Parle Agro's Bailley and IRCTC's Rail Neer. Bisleri is often used as a generic term for bottled water in India, and knockoff brands with similar spelling and branding (Belsri, Bislleri, Bilseri) have emerged —.

In 1995 Chauhan introduced a small 500 ml Bisleri bottle priced at just Rs 5 — the move that took the brand to the masses. The small format reduced price and solved portability, achieving 400% growth and capturing 40% of the packaged water bottle market. The pricing-and-pack-size decision is the textbook case of an Indian consumer brand unlocking category demand by trading down from premium hotel formats to mass affordability.