Life has come full circle for Ramesh Chauhan, chairman, Bisleri International, and creator of iconic brands such as Limca, Maaza and Thums Up. After exiting the carbonated beverages business by selling his portfolio to Coca-Cola in 1993, the industry veteran is heading back to his soft drink roots with his latest offering Bisleri Pop. However, Chauhan harbours no illusions about the mammoth task ahead of him: breaking into the Rs.20,000-crore carbonated beverages business, where business growth has been unimpressive. According to Euromonitor, the carbonated beverages category is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5% between 2013 and 2018, compared with 18% for juices and 9% for sports and energy drinks. The category is also largely dominated by global giants. “Coke and Pepsi together control more than 95% of the market and have successfully prevented new entrants from capturing market share by employing huge marketing spends. Bisleri will find it difficult to break into this market,” says an industry expert.