Pakola, derived from Pakistan-Cola, is flavored carbonated soft drink from Pakistan.
History
Pakola was the creation of seven brothers from the
Teli 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 ...
in
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 fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
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
Pakistan Air Force
, "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional)
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = ...
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 i ...
,
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
Ramadan. 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 wa ...
, Mehran Bottlers came into existence and continued to produce the drink along with other products such as ''Apple Sidra'' and Bubble Up.[
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, 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