Ardeshir Cola

Courtesy: Parsi Zorastrian 

Two years before Coca-Cola (1886) was introduced in America, a cold beverage was launched in Pune, India, which still exists today – Ardeshir. Even after 136 years, this Pune-based soft drink company continues to operate, offering beverages in ten different flavors, making it the oldest soft drink brand in India (and possibly the world).

The founder, Ardeshir Khodadad Irani, fled from religious persecution in the Yazd province of Iran in 1865 and came to India. Initially, he planned to settle in Mumbai like other Parsis but faced difficulties. He then moved to Pune’s Cantonment area (now the Camp area), where he observed that British soldiers preferred soda water – carbonated and fizzy – over plain water to mix with their liquor. However, bottled soda was not readily available in India, and imported soda from England was expensive and unreliable. Sensing an opportunity, Ardeshir started producing soda locally. At the time, carbon dioxide cylinders didn’t exist, so he generated the gas by burning coal, filtering it, and using it to carbonate water. How he acquired this knowledge remains unknown, but his bottled soda quickly became popular among the British soldiers.

As demand grew, he moved his home-based business to a larger location on Gafar Beg Street in Camp, owned by the Sethna family, a Parsi household. This area came to be known as “Sharbatwala Chowk” due to his business. Even today, Ardeshir & Sons operates from this same location.

The Parsis have been in India for over 1,000–1,200 years, but those who migrated from Iran in the 19th and 20th centuries primarily established food and beverage-related businesses, such as hotels, cafes, and cold drink enterprises. These establishments, called “Irani hotels,” held a unique place in the cultural life of pre-independence Pune and Mumbai. Iconic names like Café Naaz, Café Goodluck, Lucky, and Yazdan in Pune, and Britannia, Merwan, Yazdani, and Kayani in Mumbai, evoke fond memories. It’s worth noting that Dorabjee (est. 1874), Pune’s oldest eatery, is a Parsi hotel rather than an Irani one.

Like many eccentric Parsis, Ardeshir had strained relations with his son Framji, who was also headstrong. Framji eventually parted ways with his father and started his own soft drink business under the name “Frams,” which became popular in Pune at the time (though the company is now defunct). Despite the father-son conflict, Ardeshir shared a good bond with his grandson, who took over the family business. Framji’s son, Gilani Irani, successfully managed the Ardeshir business. Today, Marzban Irani, 48, the fourth generation of the family, runs this small-scale enterprise.

Ardeshir beverages are available exclusively at select old Irani/Parsi establishments such as Dorabjee, George, Rustam’s, Café Yazdan, Café Vohuman, and Blue Nile. They are also a staple at Parsi ceremonies and events but are not sold in retail stores. True to tradition, the drinks are sold only in glass bottles, with a refundable deposit of ₹10 for returning the empty bottle, a practice not favored by most retailers today.

Ardeshir & Sons offers ten flavors, including Plain Soda, Ice Cream Soda (which sounds intriguing), Green Apple, Peach, Pineapple, Orange, Lemon (Nimbu Soda), Jeera Masala, Ginger Soda, and their signature Raspberry flavor, which is unique to Parsi and Irani soft drinks. While it might be an overstatement to call Ardeshir a symbol of Pune’s pride, it is undoubtedly a cherished part of its heritage.