# Pune’s 142-year-old soft drink Ardeshir’s predates Coca-Cola 2026-08-22T10:22:53+00:00 | Business & Economy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Ardeshir's, a soft drink brand based in Pune, is 142 years old and predates Coca-Cola. Established in 1884 by Ardeshir Irani in the Camp area, the brand began producing soda water locally to address supply challenges from Bombay. It later expanded to flavours including raspberry, lemon, orange, ginger, jal jeera, cola and ice-cream soda, sold in glass bottles and closely tied to Pune's Parsi food culture. While Coca-Cola grew into a global brand through a vast bottling network and advertising, Ardeshir's remained a small, family-run operation focused on its local market. The brand is now run by the Irani family and is considered a surviving piece of India's commercial history, offering a taste of local heritage that global brands cannot replicate. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Ardeshir's longevity reflects a broader pattern: India had a vibrant local beverage industry long before multinationals arrived, with regional soda makers in Bombay, Calcutta and other cities. The key constraint for such brands is distribution: without access to national retail chains and cold-storage networks, they remain hyper-local. Ardeshir's survives on loyalty from Pune's older generation and nostalgia-driven demand. Whether it can pass to a fourth generation depends on whether the family can attract younger consumers without losing its artisan identity. A successor or a buyout offer in the next few years would be the signal to watch. ## Coverage - businesstoday.in Straight historical profile with no political or ideological framing, no attribution to government or opposition This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Ardeshir Irani, Coca-Cola, Pune, soft drink Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/punes-142-year-old-soft-drink-ardeshirs-predates-coca-cola/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/punes-142-year-old-soft-drink-ardeshirs-predates-coca-cola/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/