ratna bhushan new delhi two decades after he sold off thums up and other carbonated drink brands to cocacola ramesh chauhan is set to return to the fizzy drinks market the new beverage an aerated functional brand is expected to be on shop shelves in four months time an industry insider familiar with the development told et chauhan chairman of bisleri international confirmed plans to launch a functional fortified drink but refused to share details about the upcoming brand i enjoy building and creating new brands said chauhan but the creator of indias most popular cola brand thums up doesnt want to return to the cola market which make up for about onethird of the 14000crore carbonated drinks category in the country i will not reenter colas because its a declining category he said besides i cant compete with cocacola and pepsi now both are wellestablished and strong brands he said chauhan who created a legacy of heritage brands from scratch in the late 1970s starting with thums up cola and limca cloudy lemon gold spot orange and citra clear lime currently owns bisleri packaged water soda and vedica natural mountain water i consciously stayed away from carbonated drinks and focused only on bisleri water but now i believe consumers are ready for something new he said chauhan said his new brand will be a functional fortified drink in line with consumers preference for healthier beverages we expect it to evolve into a category of its own he said though there are various aerated functional drinks on retail shelves including sports drinks energy drinks and aerated juices none have been able to build scale cocacolas burn energy drink pepsicos gatorade sports drink and red bull energy drink are some of the prominent launches in this space industry experts look at his move with a lot of interest the market is very crowded and theres a slew of functional drinks on shop shelves on the face of it its a lot tougher to compete and stand out than it was in the late 1980s but chauhan has a knack for creating brands from scratch and identifying niches a top official of a cola firm said requesting not to be named bisleri is among the countrys top three packaged water brands along with cocacolas kinley and pepsicos aquafina the organised water category is estimated at close to 3000 crore it is replete with regional brands that operate on wafer thin margins and sell cheaper than established players relatively new entrants to the category include himalayan from pepsicotata global beverages jv company nourishco and qua from danone narang beverages bisleri which has been clocking growth of close to 26 yearonyear is expected to use part of its distribution network of five lakh retail outlets to boost the new brand chauhan had sold off his aerated drinks business for an estimated rs 180 crore to cocacola when the latter reentered the country in 1993 as india kicked off its economic liberalisation process as part