Winning Bizness Desk

Mumbai. Founder of Mumbai-Rasna Group Ariz Pirojshah Khambatta passed away at the age of 85 on 19 November. Khambata was the one who made Rasna popular in the 80's and 90's which has now presence in 60 countries. Khambatta was the chairman of Benevolent Trust and Rasna Foundation and also was the former chairman of WAPIZ (World Alliance of Iranians body) and former president of the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat. Rasna Group's statement said that 'Khambata has contributed immensely to Indian industry, business and social development through social service.'

World's largest soft drink concentrate manufacturer

The iconic home-grown beverage brand is sold across 18 lakh retail outlets in the country. Rasna is now the world's largest soft drink concentrate manufacturer. Rasna is sold in 60 countries across the globe and has always been a market leader in the beverage segment dominated by multinational corporations (MNCs). Khambata introduced it in the 1970s as an alternative to high priced soft drink products. A packet of Rasna worth Rs 5 could be converted into 32 glasses of soft drink, which cost only 15 paise per glass. Its ad campaign 'I love you Rasna' is still remembered. The campaign is still fresh in the minds of people who grew up in the 80s and 90s.

In 1979, brand renamed as Rasna

In 1976, the Khambata family of Ahmedabad created ready-to-serve concentrate soft drinks and launched them under the name of a variety of orange, 'Jaffe'. Within no time, Ariz Khambatta, the second generation of the family, found that people did not recognize Orange by the brand name 'Jaffe'. In such a situation, in 1979, he changed the brand name of this concentrated soft drink to Rasna, which means juice. Ariz Khambatta's son Piruj Khambatta joined the ancestral business when he turned 18. While expanding the company's product portfolio, Piruj Khambata did not forget his grandfather and father's business mantra that the products should be according to Indian tradition, their base should be fruits and the price should be affordable for middle class families. Piruj Khambatta has also taken care of ready-to-serve convenience while fulfilling these basic conditions.