Who is known as the Cola King of India?

Cola King of India: There’s hardly a person in India who hasn’t had a sip of carbonated beverages once in their life. Be it sweltering summers or pairing up with your favourite fast food, carbonated drinks are there in every such occasion.

But have you ever thought who the driver behind this large-scale production of carbonated beverages is? In this article, we will introduce you to one of the most prominent men behind the company that controls 90% of PepsiCo's production volume in India.

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Who is Ravi Kant Jaipuria?

Ravi Kant Jaipuria is the promoter and chairman of RJ Corp, a diversified business conglomerate with interests in beverages, quick-service restaurants, ice cream, and healthcare.

His beverage business, Varun Beverages Limited (VBL), named after his son Varun, is the hallmark of bottling operations in India. VBL produces and distributes around 90% of PepsiCo’s carbonated beverages in India.

This makes VBL the second-largest bottling partner of PepsiCo outside the US. For this reason, he is known as the Cola King of India.

Stay with us as we take you through his journey to become the Cola King of India.

Keep reading!

Ravi Kant Jaipuria - Overview

Ravi Kant Jaipuria - Early Life and Career

Ravi Kant Jaipuria was the youngest of the three sons of businessman Chunni Lal Jaipuria, who owned a Coca-Cola bottling franchise, but, with the introduction of foreign exchange laws in 1977, Coca-Cola had to wind down its operations in India.

His family then started promoting the local brand Thums Up, which captured 80% of the market share after Coca-Cola’s exit. The turning point came in 1987, when the family business was divided among the three brothers.

Ravi, being the youngest, had to face the most challenging phase of his career, as he got the Agra bottling plant as a part of the division. By 1991, the Indian economy opened up in keeping with its LPG (Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation) theme.

At that time, Pepsi entered the Indian market seeking to gain a strong foothold in a market dominated by Thums Up, which was then owned by Parle. Ravi struck a deal with Pepsi and became their bottling partner.

With this came the setting up of Varun Beverages Limited, which was established on June 16, 1995. It is named after Ravi’s son Varun.

Now, Varun Beverages Limited is the second-largest franchisee of Pepsi outside the US. 

What are the Sources of Wealth of Ravi Kant Jaipuria?

The two primary sources of wealth for Ravi Kant Jaipuria are the business ventures, namely, Varun Beverages Limited and Devyani International Limited, which are named after his son and daughter, respectively. 

Besides these two, he has also invested in healthcare, hospitality, and education domains.

Varun Beverages Limited (Beverage Bottling and Sales)

Varun Beverages serves as the bottling and sales partner of PepsiCo in India; it is the second-largest franchisee of PepsiCo outside the US. It has a market cap of 1,65,413 crores as on 9th January, 2026.

Much of the market cap rise is attributed to the rise in share price since its IPO in 2016. It has since risen 18 times in value.

Varun Beverages has also secured franchisees for territories in other countries, including Nepal, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Devyani International Limited (Quick Service Restaurant Business)

Devayani International Limited, named after the daughter of Ravi Kant Jaipuria, is the quick-service restaurant business venture owned by him. 

It serves as the largest franchisee of Yum brands such as KFC, and Pizza Hut across India. It also added the franchisee of Costa Coffee to its portfolio in recent years. 

It is in the news as it signed a deal for a merger with Sapphire Foods, which was the second largest franchisee for Yum brands in India. This will consolidate its position as the leader in the quick-service restaurant category.

Other Business Ventures 

Ravi Kant Jaipuria has stake in other business ventures such as Lemon Tree Hotels ( hospitality), Medanta Hospitals (Healthcare), Creambell ice cream ( frozen dessert business), and also promotes Delhi Public School as a part of his interest in Education domain.

Although Ravi has resigned from the board of directors of Lemon Tree Hotels on March 23, 2021, his conglomerate, i.e RJ Corp holds stake in Lemon Tree Hotels.

What is the Net Worth of Ravi Kant Jaipuria?

Ravi Kant Jaipuria has a net worth of $13B, as updated in real-time according to Forbes. His main source of wealth is RJ Corp, and the companies operating under it, namely Varun Beverages Limited and Devyani International Limited.

That was all about Ravi Kant Jaipuria, appropriately dubbed the “Cola King of India” for his sheer dominance in the field of beverage bottling and sales.

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