Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey meets PM Narendra Modi, Mukesh Ambani, discusses sourcing, retail plans

NEW DELHI: James Quincey, chief executive officer of the Coca-Cola, told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the company is committed to sourcing of ingredients, especially fruits, from India.

The chief of the world’s largest beverage company also met Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and discussed how Coca-Cola would accelerate it retail activities.

At the meeting with the PM, Quincey pledged to step up its agri-business from India, currently the company’s sixth-largest market.

The talks included plans by Coca-Cola to develop lowsugar beverages and drinks with healthy ingredients such as fruit, according to two officials familiar with the discussions. “Developing juice and juice-based drinks with local fruit variants, adding juice to its aerated brands, exporting processed fruits to global markets and stepping up dispensing for juice-drinks in smaller packs have been identified as core focus areas,” one official said.