Duke and Sons facts for kids
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The Duke's plant in Chembur
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| Private | |
| Industry | Food |
| Fate | Acquired by PepsiCo in 1994, became a brand |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Founder | Dinshawji Pandole |
| Defunct | 1994 |
| Headquarters |
Chembur
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| Products | Soft drinks |
| Brands | Duke's Lemonade Duke's Mangola |
| Owner | Pandole family (1889–1994) |
Duke and Sons Pvt. Ltd was an Indian company that made and sold soft drinks. It was started in 1889 in Bombay. The company was owned by the Pandole family, who were a well-known business family from the Parsi community. In 1994, a big company called PepsiCo bought Duke and Sons. PepsiCo later brought back the Duke's brand in India in 2011.
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The Story of Duke's Drinks
Duke and Sons was founded by Dinshawji Cooverji Pandole. He loved cricket and even named his company after a cricket ball maker called Duke & Sons. His company made popular drinks like Tango, Raspberry, Ginger, Pineapple, Lemonade and Mangola. These drinks were all sold under the "Duke's" brand.
The Pandole family managed the company for a long time, until 1994. That's when they sold it to PepsiCo. At the time of the sale, Duke's was very popular in Mumbai and Maharashtra. It held a big share of the soft drink market there, about 55%.
How Duke's Grew
Duke's first started making lemonade in a small shed in Byculla, and later in the Khetwadi area of Mumbai. In the beginning, their drinks were delivered by bullock cart! This meant they could only sell their drinks in Mumbai. But by 1940, the company bought Ford trucks, which helped them deliver drinks further away. By 1989, they had 90 trucks for distribution.
In 1970, Duke's opened a new factory in Chembur. This factory could make 19,000 crates of drinks in one work shift! When Coca-Cola first came to India in the 1950s, Duke's created Mangola, a mango-flavored drink. This helped them compete with the new big company.
Duke's Gingerade was a popular drink for people who had an upset stomach. The Raspberry drink was a favorite at Parsi weddings and among children. The Duke's brand is still well-known in Irani cafés in Mumbai.
Duke's and PepsiCo
PepsiCo continued to make Duke's drinks until 2004. Then, they decided to stop making most of the Duke's flavors, keeping only Lemonade and Mangola. This was because the other Duke's drinks were mostly sold only in western India. PepsiCo wanted to focus on its brands that were sold all over the country.
However, in December 2011, PepsiCo announced that they were bringing back the old Duke's flavors! They relaunched Raspberry soda, Gingerade, and Ice-Cream soda. They also launched a new drink called Mumbai Masala Soda. The relaunched drinks came in new PET packaging (plastic bottles) and also in classic glass bottles. PepsiCo also gave more profit to small shop owners, so they would display the Duke's bottles more clearly. This was part of Pepsi's plan to gain more market share using popular local brands.
Popular Duke's Drinks
Duke's Mangola
Duke's Mangola is a mango-flavored drink made by PepsiCo in India. The Pandole family originally owned it as part of Duke and Sons. Mangola was first launched in the 1950s to compete with Coca-Cola. When PepsiCo bought Duke's in 1994, they kept Mangola, even though they stopped making most other Duke's drinks in 2004.
Mangola was very popular in western India and was the top mango drink in that area. PepsiCo has been slowly combining Mangola with its other mango drink, Slice. As of 2010, only one factory in Mumbai still made Mangola because it had very loyal customers.
Duke's Lemonade
Duke's Lemonade is a fizzy lemon drink that has been sold in India since 1889. It is very popular in western India. Like Mangola, Duke's Lemonade was originally owned by Duke and Sons. It was sold to PepsiCo in 1994.
Even when PepsiCo stopped making most Duke's drinks in 2004, they kept Duke's Lemonade. In fact, in the same year, PepsiCo launched a new advertising campaign in Mumbai to promote it. The new slogan was "takatak taajgi," which means "instant freshness."
Duke's Lemonade used to be a favorite drink in Irani cafés. In 2008, Ramesh Chauhan, who owns Parle, shared an interesting story. He said he once asked the owners of Duke's Lemonade if they would share their secret recipe. He promised not to sell it in India, but they said no. So, Chauhan decided to create his own lemon drink, which he launched as the Limca brand in 1977.
