PepsiCo and its franchise partner Varun Beverages Lanka is launching Aquafina in Sri Lanka.

Aquafina bottled drinking water is sold in more than 20 countries, including the US.

Launched across Sri Lanka, Aquafina will be available in 20l bulk water jars and 50cl, 1l and 1.5l PET bottles.

PepsiCo India country manager Sri Lanka Ankit Mahajan said: "Our research shows that the market for packaged drinking water in Sri Lanka is growing and the launch will give an impetus to the growth of this category and bring in more consumers into our fold.

"Bulk water is an important addition to our offerings, considering its significance among foodservice outlets in Sri Lanka.

"With Aquafina’s trademarked seven-step purification process, Hydro-7, PepsiCo aims to meet a longstanding consumer need for pure water they can trust, at an affordable price."

Varun Beverages holds bottling and distribution franchise rights for PepsiCo across India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Africa.

Varun Beverages Lanka Ajay Bhartia said: "With its unique attributes of the seven-step purification process, its international brand image and widespread distribution, Aquafina has the potential to become one of the leading brands of bottled water in Sri Lanka in the future.

"The brand will leverage our production, distribution and cooling infrastructure to give consumers, reliable, pure and trustworthy chilled water within arm’s reach."