Rasna founder and Chairman Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta, who had made significant contributions to Indian industry and business, died on Saturday, according to a company statement.
“Khambatta has contributed immensely to Indian industry, business, and most importantly societal development through social service,” the Rasna Group on Monday said.
85 year old Khambatta was also the Chairman of the Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust and the Rasna Foundation. He was also the former Chairman of WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthostis) and the past President of the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat, as well as the Vice President of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India.
Khambatta, best known for creating the iconic home-grown beverage brand Rasna, created affordable soft drink packs of Rasna in the 1970s as an alternative to high-priced soft drink products.
Rasna is now the world’s largest soft drink concentrate manufacturer with 1.8 million retail outlets in the country.
The beverage brand is now sold in 60 countries worldwide and has consistently been a market leader in a beverage segment dominated by multinational corporations (MNCs).
A 5 pack of Rasna can be converted into 32 glasses of soft drinks for the low price of 15 paise per glass.
Rasna is still well-known, and the brand’s “I love you Rasna” campaign is still fresh in the minds of those who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s.