Reliance Consumer Products Limited (RCPL) has taken its first step outside India by acquiring a majority stake in the Australia-based Goodness Group Global. The move marks a strategic shift for the Reliance Industries-owned FMCG arm as it looks beyond domestic growth and taps into the global demand for healthier drinks.
The deal value has not been officially disclosed, though industry estimates suggest RCPL paid about A US$25–32 million for a stake of around 70–75%. What is clear is that Goodness Group’s founding team will stay on, continuing to run the business while leaning on RCPL’s capital and operating muscle to grow further.
For RCPL, this is not just about entering a new geography. It is about learning from a market ahead of India in health-led consumption. Australia’s beverage shelves reflect a consumer who reads labels, avoids sugar, and is willing to pay more for products that feel cleaner and better. Goodness Group was built for exactly that consumer.
The company’s brands include Nexba, which offers zero-sugar, plant-based sodas, and PACE, a hydration drink co-created with Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins. These are not mass-market products. They sit in a premium space shaped by changing lifestyles, fitness culture, and a growing discomfort with traditional sugary drinks.
People close to the sector say the acquisition gives RCPL something harder to build than factories or distribution: credibility in a mature FMCG market. It also brings exposure to product innovation cycles and consumer behaviour that Indian companies often study from afar.
Over time, RCPL may explore bringing some of these products to India or other markets where it already has a presence. That will not be straightforward. Indian consumers remain price-sensitive, and premium health beverages are still niche. Any launch would require careful localisation.
For Goodness Group, the partnership offers stability and room to think long term in a crowded, competitive category. For RCPL, it is a small but telling step, less about scale today, and more about learning how to build consumer brands that can travel.