Coca-Cola Came Later, But Pune’s Ardeshir’s Had Already Won India’s First Soda Race

When people think of old soft drink brands, names like Coca-Cola usually come to mind first. Yet, tucked into the streets of Pune is a story that began earlier. In 1884, two years before Coca-Cola was introduced in the United States, a small Indian soda business had already started bubbling into life. Its name was Ardeshir, AKA Ardy’s! 

This Indian Soda Brand Started Before Coca-Cola In 1884

The man behind it was Ardeshir Khodadad Irani, a Parsi entrepreneur whose family origins were linked to Iran. He eventually settled in Pune, then known as Poona, a city shaped in part by its British cantonment. Soldiers and officers stationed there had developed a taste for soda water, often mixed with liquor. There was only one problem: the supply usually came from Bombay, so delays were frequent, transport was unreliable, and shortages irritated customers and bar owners alike.

Where others saw inconvenience, Ardeshir saw possibility. He began making carbonated water locally from a modest rented workspace. There were no large machines, no industrial assembly lines, and no grand investors waiting in the wings. Production relied on simple equipment, manual labour, and persistence. But it worked somehow! Local demand was met, and a practical solution soon became a growing business.

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Meet Ardeshir’s, India’s Vintage Soft Drink Brand From 1884

Then came the more interesting leap; Ardeshir did not stop at plain soda water. He started experimenting with sugar, flavouring essences, and recipes that would appeal to Indian tastes rather than merely copying imported preferences. 

Over the years, the company built a range of flavours that became closely associated with Pune life; these were raspberry, lemonade, orange, jeera soda, green apple, and peach. Of these, raspberry earned almost legendary status among loyal customers. Generations remember chilled glass bottles opened with a sharp hiss, served at cafés, family functions, local restaurants, and summer gatherings.

This brand’s survival came from choosing a different road. While international beverage companies expanded through giant factories, advertising campaigns, and national distribution networks, Ardeshir’s stayed rooted in Pune. Customers were not buying only a drink; they were buying nostalgia.

That local connection helped it outlast eras that transformed India completely. The brand lived through late colonial rule, independence, wars, economic change, shifting consumer habits, and the arrival of global giants such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Few companies can claim to have crossed so many chapters of history while still retaining their original character.

Even today, later generations of the founding family are associated with keeping the legacy alive. The bottles, flavours, and old-world charm continue to attract longtime residents as well as younger people curious about Pune’s past.

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Before multinational brands dominated shelves, an Indian entrepreneur had already built something enduring, one fizzy bottle at a time.

Cover Image Courtesy: r/india/Reddit

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