Drinking water is the most essential component of human life and for our survival. And catering to this need since 1965 is Bisleri. Be it a formal event, traveling, or a festive occasion, a transparent bottle wrapped in an aqua-green label has always grabbed our attention. And the family behind popularising this business in India is the Chauhan family headed by Ramesh Chauhan, the present Chairman of Bisleri. This family has been successfully catering to the needs of millions of Indians for years and has stuck together through thick and thin to build a business that is worth Rs 7000 crore.
Who is Ramesh Chauhan?
Ramesh Chauhan or as informally called RJC was born in Mumbai in 1940. He has a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Business Management. He pursued his Bachelor’s from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after which he returned to India at the age of 22. With an unbreakable will and visionary ideas, RJC was determined to create something that would resonate with the Indian masses and at the age of 27 he introduced bottled mineral water to the Indian market, at a time when purchasing it was unheard of. In 1969, Parle Exports purchased Bisleri from an Italian entrepreneur and began selling mineral water in India. It was under Chauhan’s leadership that Bisleri became synonymous with mineral water.
In his career spanning over 52 years, Chauhan has held several significant positions and expanded the business in various ways. In addition to Bisleri, brands like ThumsUp, Gold Spot, Citra, Maaza, and Limca have also been brought to the Indian market by him. In 2016, he launched ‘Bisleri POP’, a line of fun-filled pop in four fascinating flavours: Spyci, Limonata, Fonzo and PinaColada.
Being a business magnate never stopped RJC from creating ways to protect the planet as he pioneered PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) recycling in 1995. This was done to maintain the environment clean while also providing extra revenue for the rag pickers. Bisleri’s initiative has resulted in the collection of 600 tonnes of PET every year, as per their official website data. Bisleri set the Guiness World Record and the Limca Book of Records in 2015 for the most PET bottles collected in 8 hours. Bisleri and the school kids collected 1.1 million plastic bottles as a result of this activity.
The First lady of Bisleri
Zainab Chauhan is a member of Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd.’s top management. She is the wife of Bisleri’s Chairman, Ramesh Chauhan, and the mother of Vice Chairperson, Jayanti Chauhan. She served as the Director of the business.
She laid the groundwork for several of India’s most well-known brands, including ThumsUp, Limca, and Gold Spot, beginning in the 1970s. She was one of the first businesswomen in India to go to the market and sell soft drinks while maintaining strong ties with franchisees in an industry dominated by men. She has been RJC’s rock and the driving force behind Bisleri’s success.
The Business scion who will lead Bisleri
Jayanti Chauhan grew up in Delhi, Bombay, and New York City, the daughter of Ramesh and Zainab Chauhan. She serves as the current Vice Chairperson of the brand.
Jayanti attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM), Los Angeles, to study Product Development after which she went on to study Fashion Styling at the Istituto Marangoni Milano. She also has diplomas from the London College of Fashion in Fashion Styling and Photography. She has interned at several renowned fashion brands and has a degree in Arabic from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
She joined Bisleri as the early age of 24, as her father, the chairman stated in a statement to Economic Times, “Jayanti will run the company with our professional team and we do not want to sell the business.”
She took over the Delhi office, where she started from the ground up, and she also took on the job of rebuilding the plant and automating numerous procedures. In 2011, she took over the Mumbai office providing an unique perspective to the firm with her vast global exposure and cross-category experience.
Bisleri’s Sales and Marketing departments are led by the 38-year-old, who also contributes to the development of advertising and communication, as well as marketing and branding.
Jayanti is actively involved in simplifying operations for Bisleri Mineral Water, Vedica Natural Mineral Water from the Himalayas (the Luxury Segment), Fizzy Fruit Drinks, and Bisleri Hand Purifier, in addition to New Product Development.
Jayanti’s vision and determination have led Bisleri to reach greater heights and adopt a new perspective, in an exclusive with Forbes she said, “I don’t believe in really looking at competition as competition. I believe we are our competition.”
Ramesh Chauhan earlier agreed to sell the brand to Tata Group for an estimated Rs 7,000 crore but the deal was later called off by Jayanti as they decided not to sell the brand that they created over so many years.