Palestine-related boycotts have helped Reliance-owned Campa Cola win some customers from Coca-Cola and Pepsi in places including Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow and Hyderabad. But the evidence is local testimony, not a national measure of consumer behaviour: it shows one source of Campa’s momentum, not proof that a nationwide boycott is driving its growth. Lower prices and Reliance’s distribution reach also matter.
What the reported boycott looks like on the ground
In an October 15, 2025 feature, Scroll reporter Anant Gupta described consumers and businesses in several Indian cities choosing Campa instead of Coca-Cola or Pepsi amid Palestine-related boycotts. The article draws on interviews with consumers, shopkeepers, distributors, restaurant owners and activists. Those accounts show how the boycott can affect buying and serving decisions; they are not a representative survey of India.
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Campa Cola | $1.29 | Buy on Amazon |
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Le Le Aayi Campa Cola | $1.29 | Buy on Amazon |
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Le Le Aayi Campa Cola | $1.29 | Buy on Amazon |
Delhi: customers ask for a different drink
In South East Delhi’s Jamia Nagar and Zakir Nagar, people interviewed by Scroll said they avoided Coca-Cola and Pepsi because they perceived the companies as linked to Israel, and chose Campa instead. These are the interviewees’ views and motivations; the accounts do not independently establish the corporate claims behind them.
Mohammed Azad, a Campa distributor in Jamia Nagar, told Scroll demand was high and said he had moved from running a grocery store to distributing the drink. At the Dilli-6 restaurant, Shah Alam, the owner’s son, said customers had objected to the restaurant serving Thums Up, which is owned by Coca-Cola. He recalled: “At the start of the conflict, many people would refuse to come to our restaurant because we sold Thums Up [owned by Coca-Cola].” This is one restaurant’s account, not evidence of a uniform response among diners.
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Other cities show a mixed picture
Scroll also reported boycott-related conversations with businesses in Kolkata, Lucknow and Hyderabad. The choices were not consistent across customers: a Kolkata restaurant brought Coca-Cola and Thums Up back alongside Campa because patrons continued to request them. A Hyderabad restaurateur described Campa’s appeal mainly in terms of price. Together, the examples suggest that political preference can influence what some businesses stock, while demand, price and availability shape the choices that follow.
Why some consumers are boycotting Coca-Cola and Pepsi
The consumers and activists quoted by Scroll described boycotting brands they believe are connected to Israel as a way to apply pressure through purchasing decisions. That is their stated rationale; it should not be conflated with independent verification of every claim about a company or its conduct.
The BDS Movement’s live Guide to BDS Boycott & Pressure Corporate Priority Targeting sets out that movement’s own campaign priorities and framework. Its classifications are the movement’s stated advocacy choices, not a substitute for evaluating evidence about a company. Someone deciding what to buy may therefore be applying a particular campaign’s target list, a personal standard, or claims they have encountered; those approaches are not necessarily identical.
Why Campa can gain customers beyond the boycott
Price makes switching easier
Scroll reported a ₹10 price for a 200 ml Campa bottle in its October 2025 feature; that is a reported price at that time, not a current nationwide price. Earlier, The Economic Times reported on September 29, 2024, that a 250 ml Campa bottle cost ₹10, compared with ₹20 for 250 ml bottles of Coca-Cola and Pepsi. That dated comparison illustrates a pricing strategy, but prices vary over time and by location, so it should not be treated as a current shelf-price comparison.
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A lower price can make Campa an attractive alternative for customers who are already open to switching, whether for political, budgetary or other reasons. The available reporting does not include a controlled taste test or a representative study of consumer preferences, so it cannot establish which drink people prefer in taste or how much price alone changes their choices.
Reliance has routes to reach customers
Campa is part of Reliance’s beverage business, and the company can draw on Reliance’s retail and distribution network. The Economic Times described that reach, along with pricing and product innovation, as an advantage for the brand. Former PepsiCo India chairman Shiv Shivakumar told the paper: “Campa has the advantage of Reliance’s distribution and its ability to bring in fresh innovation.” Distribution can help a product get onto shelves and into restaurants; the interview evidence does not quantify how much it contributes to Campa’s sales.
Reliance’s expansion plans and promotional efforts are also part of the commercial context described by Scroll and The Economic Times. In August 2025, Reliance said Campa had “double-digit market share across many states.” That is the company’s claim, and it does not specify a single all-India share in the quoted statement.
What the market-share figures do—and do not—show
Published figures differ by date, source and scope. Reliance’s statements describe the company’s view of Campa’s position; later industry estimates divide the carbonated-drinks market among competitors. They should not be treated as a single, directly comparable time series.
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| Source and date | Figure | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Scroll, October 15, 2025, citing a separate source | Coca-Cola and Pepsi together controlled “more than 90% of revenues” in India’s carbonated soft-drinks market. | A reported figure attributed by Scroll to another source; it is not an estimate independently reproduced in the reporting summarized here. |
| Reliance Industries, August 29, 2025 AGM statement | Campa had “double-digit market share across many states.” | Reliance’s company claim, referring to many states rather than specifying one nationwide figure. |
| Moneycontrol, June 19, 2026, reporting Isha Ambani’s remarks | ₹4,700 crore in FY26 gross sales; double-digit share in key markets. | Company-reported performance and market-position claims as reported by Moneycontrol. The page discloses Network18’s relationship with Reliance. |
| NDTV Profit, July 21–22, 2026 | Coca-Cola 40–42%; PepsiCo 28–30%; Campa 7–8% of India’s carbonated-drinks market. | Industry estimates reported by NDTV Profit, not figures described as audited. They use a market category and framing that should not be assumed identical to the other rows. |
The figures indicate that Campa has become a significant competitor, but they do not show how many Indian consumers support a boycott or what share of Campa’s growth was caused by one. Nor do they establish that the local shifts described in Scroll’s interviews represent behaviour across the country.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to compare Campa with Coca-Cola and Pepsi
For a shopper deciding between the brands, the useful comparison is practical rather than a claim that one drink has replaced the others:
- Price: Check the price and bottle size where you shop. The cited ₹10 comparisons are dated, and the 200 ml and 250 ml figures are not interchangeable.
- Availability: Stock can differ by neighbourhood and outlet. Scroll’s accounts include both businesses accommodating Campa requests and customers continuing to ask for Coca-Cola or Thums Up.
- Ownership: Campa is owned by Reliance; Thums Up is part of Coca-Cola’s brand portfolio. A boycott decision may depend on how a consumer interprets a campaign’s targets or corporate relationships.
- Taste: The reporting offers individual consumer and business accounts, not a controlled taste comparison or representative preference survey.
What the evidence supports
The clearest conclusion is bounded: Palestine-related boycotts have helped Campa in some reported local settings by prompting certain customers and businesses to switch or add it to their offerings. The accounts also show that the effect is not uniform, and they cannot establish a nationwide boycott or measure its contribution to Campa’s overall growth. Price, distribution, promotion and continued competition all belong in the explanation of Reliance’s cola ambitions.
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