This is India's oldest soft drink brand, not Mukesh Ambani's Campa Cola, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, it was started by..., name is...

When we think of soft drinks in India, brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and the newly revived Campa Cola often come to mind. But long before these global giants entered Indian markets, a local fizzy drink had already made history. Few people today know that India has its own soda legacy that dates back more than 150 years — and it started with a man named Ardeshir in Pune. According to reports, the journey of carbonated drinks began in 1767 when English chemist Joseph Priestley discovered how to mix water with carbon dioxide. This invention gained popularity after being commercialised by the brand Schweppes in 1783. By the early 1800s, fizzy drinks had become so popular that Bombay saw the opening of Rogers, an aerated water factory, in 1837.

It was in the late 1800s that Ardeshir, a young man from Yazd in Iran, arrived in India. He fled his homeland with just Rs 8 and eventually settled in Pune. One evening, he witnessed a bar fight break out over soda due to delayed supply. That chaotic moment sparked an idea.

Ardeshir began experimenting with carbonated water, sugar, and flavours. In 1884, he launched his own soda brand from a small rented barrack in Pune — two years before Coca-Cola was even invented in 1886. His drink, known simply as "Ardeshir’s," became a local favourite and laid the foundation for India’s own soda culture.

Before long, Ardeshir's soda was being delivered across cities, from Quetta (now in Pakistan) to Pune, continuing to refresh people long before multinational brands made their way into Indian homes.

In contrast, Campa Cola — now being widely promoted by Reliance — has a much more recent history. It was established in 1977 by the Pure Drinks Group and was a household name in India during the '80s and '90s. However, with the entry of global brands, Campa Cola lost its market share. In 2022, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries acquired the brand and relaunched it in 2023 as a part of its FMCG expansion.