Pakola, derived from Pakistan-Cola, is flavored carbonated soft drink from Pakistan.

History

Pakola was the creation of seven brothers from the

Teli Teli is a caste traditionally occupied in the pressing of oil in India, Nepal and Pakistan. Members may be either Hindu or Muslim; Muslim Teli are called Roshandaar or Teli Malik. The Jewish community of Maharashtra (called Bene Israel) was als ...

family of

Dhoraji Dhoraji () is a town situated on the banks of the River Safura, a tributary of the River Bhadar. It is a municipality in the Rajkot district in the state of Gujarat, India. History Dhoraji was acquired by Kumbhaji II of Gondal State from ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

who migrated to

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in 1947. The idea of Pakola came from its founder Haji Ali Mohammad, who dreamed of developing a drink that portrayed the true reflection and taste of Pakistan. The drink was launched at

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Base on the anniversary of Pakistan's Independence, 14 August 1950, in the presence of the first

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan ( ur, ; 1 October 1895 – 16 October 1951), also referred to in Pakistan as ''Quaid-e-Millat'' () or ''Shaheed-e-Millat'' ( ur, lit=Martyr of the Nation, label=none, ), was a Pakistani statesman, lawyer, political theoris ...

. In the early 1960s, people started mixing Pakola with chilled milk and started serving it to jugs during the communal 'iftars' during the month of

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. This helped increase its consumption and popularity. Later when ''Pakistan Beverages'' (PB) came into existence at SITE Karachi, the brand Pakola was produced there. In 1979, when Pakistan Beverages was announced as a production facility for

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

, Mehran Bottlers came into existence and continued to produce the drink along with other products such as ''Apple Sidra'' and

Bubble Up Bubble Up is a lemon-lime soft drink brand created in 1919, by Sweet Valley Products Co. of Sandusky, Ohio. It is now manufactured by the Dad's Root Beer Company, LLC and owned by Hedinger Brands, LLC for the United States, Canada, and Mexico ...

. Mehran Bottlers was managed by his nephews Zafar Habib and Arif Habib. In 2004, Mehran Bottlers and Pakistan Beverages started manufacturing cans in Pakistan. In 2004, Zeeshan Z. Habib took charge as the chief executive officer of Mehran Bottlers.

Varieties

Several of the variants that have been introduced by Pakola: *Pakola Ice Cream Soda (1950) *Pakola Orange (1985) *Pakola Raspberry (1985) *Pakola Lychee (1991) *Pakola Fresh Lime (2006) *Pakola Water (2015) *Pakola Pomegranate (2016) *Pakola Vimto *Apple Sidra *Forest (Club Soda)

Ingredients

Pakola is made with carbonated water, sugar,

citric acid Citric acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula HOC(CO2H)(CH2CO2H)2. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in t ...

, cream soda artificial flavor, Color: FD&C Bleu No 1 (E 133), FD&C Yellow No.5 (E 102), and sodium benzoate. A typical can of Pakola (8.5 fl ounces/250 ml) has 34 g of sugar, 15 mg of sodium, 0 g of cholesterol, 0 g fat, 0 g of protein, and 130 calories.

Production

Pakola is currently produced by Mehran Bottlers.

Distribution

Pakola is now available in America, Africa, Australia, Canada, Middle East, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It is the only carbonated beverage manufactured in Pakistan that is exported globally.

Glass bottles

Due to the introduction of the capacity tax in 2013, Pakola discontinued the production and distribution of all glass-bottled products. The tax was levied on the overall production and distribution of the machinery instead of output, which was detrimental for companies with lower productions or smaller markets. After the collapse of this system, Mehran Bottlers quickly set up their PET lines to grasp the market once again.

References

External links

Pakola website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakola Drink companies of Pakistan Pakistani drinks Products introduced in 1950 Cream sodas Pakistani brands