Duke and Sons

Duke and Sons Pvt. Ltd was an Indian manufacturing company based in Bombay. Established in 1889, Duke produced and marketed soft drinks.[1] It was originally owned by the Pandole family, a well-known Parsi business name.[2] In 1994, the company was acquired by Pepsi, which relaunched the Duke's brand in 2011 through its Indian subsidiary.[3]

"Duke's" redirects here. For the condiment brand, see Duke's Mayonnaise.
Duke and Sons Pvt. Ltd
TypePrivate
IndustryFood
Founded1889
FounderDinshawji Pandole
Defunct1994 (1994)
FateAcquired by PepsiCo in 1994, became a brand
Headquarters
Chembur
,
India
ProductsSoft drinks
BrandsDuke's Lemonade
Duke's Mangola
OwnerPandole family (1889–1994)
ParentPepsiCo

History

Duke and Sons was founded by Dinshawji Cooverji Pandole. An avid cricketer, Dinshawji named his company after a cricket ball manufacturing company, Duke & Sons.[4] The company used to manufacture Tango, Raspberry, Ginger, Pineapple, Lemonade and Mangola drinks under the "Duke's" brand. The Pandole family ran the company until 1994, when it was sold to PepsiCo.[5] When sold, Duke's had a 55% market share in the segments it operated in Mumbai and Maharashtra.[6]


Originally, Duke's manufactured lemonade from a shed in Byculla and later at Khetwadi areas of Mumbai. Its products were distributed by bullock cart and distribution was limited to Mumbai until 1940, when the company acquired Ford trucks. By 1989, the company had 90 distribution trucks. In 1970, the company established a manufacturing unit in the suburb of Chembur, with a production capacity of 19,000 crates per shift.[7] When Coca-Cola first launched in India in the 1950s, Duke's launched Mangola, a mango flavoured juice drink to survive competition.[5] Duke's Gingerade was popularly used when people had eaten too much or had an upset stomach, while the Raspberry drink was a favourite at Parsi weddings as well as a children's favourite. The Duke's brand is synonymous with Irani cafés in Mumbai.[8]

Pepsico manufactured the drinks until 2004, when it discontinued all the drinks apart from Lemonade and Mangola.[5] The decision was based on the fact that the drinks were marketed only in western India, while Pepsico wanted to concentrate on its national brands.[9]

In December 2011, Pepsico announced that it was reviving the old flavours under the Duke's brand. Apart from reviving old drinks Raspberry soda, Gingerade and Ice-Cream soda, Pepsico announced the launch of a new drink, Mumbai Masala Soda under the Duke's brand.[10] The relaunch included a bright new PET packaging as well as retro glass bottles in addition to an increased margin for small retailers, enticing them to prominently display the bottles in their shops.[11] Pepsi relaunched Duke's Soda as well, as part of a strategy to increase market share with the help of regional brands.[12]

In 2017, PepsiCo sold the defunct Duke's plant at Chembur for about Rs170 crore.[13]

Products

Duke's Mangola

Duke's Mangola is a mango flavoured drink marketed by PepsiCo in India.[14] Originally owned by the Pundole family and part of Duke and Sons, Mangola was launched in the 1950s to counter Coca-Cola. Duke's was sold to Pepsico in 1994. Though Pepsico phased out most drinks under the Duke's brand in 2004, it retained lemonade and Mangola.[5]

Marketed in western India, Duke's Mangola was the market leader in the segment in that region.[15] Pepsico has been slowly merging Mangola with its other mango based drink, Slice. As of 2010, only one franchise of Mangola had been retained in Mumbai, since it was loyal to the brand.[16]

Duke's Lemonade

Duke's Lemonade is a lemon based aerated drink marketed in India since 1889. The brand has a presence in western India. [17] Originally owned by Duke and Sons, the brand was sold to PepsiCo in 1994. Pepsico phased out most drinks under the Duke's brand in 2004, though it retained Duke's Lemonade.[5] Not only was Duke's Lemonade retained, in the same year Pepsico launched a new advertisement campaign in Mumbai to promote the brand, with a new tagline, "takatak taajgi".[18]

Duke's Lemonade was once a favorite in Irani cafés.[19] It is also used as a mixer with alcohol based drinks.[20] In an interview in 2008, Ramesh Chauhan of Parle said that he had approached the owners of Duke's Lemonade, requesting them to share the formula for the drink with the promise not to market it in India, which was turned down. Chauhan decided to come up with his own formula, which he launched under the Limca brand in 1977.[21]

Controversies

An investigation by The Financial Express in 2005 revealed that a sealed bottle of Duke's Lemonade contained a hair clip. Pepsico issued a statement stating that glass bottles go through an air wash system and are physically checked before reuse. The company attributed the incident to the possibility of the object being stuck to the bottom of the bottle, making it difficult to detect.[22] In 2006, Indian authorities tested leading cola brands, including Duke's Lemonade and found that they contained high level of pesticides.[23]

References
  1. Reed, Sir Stanley (1972). The Times of India directory and year book including who's who. Bennett, Coleman & Co. pp. xxi.
  2. "Ratan Tata is richest Parsi in India". The Economic Times. 16 June 2002. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  3. PepsiCo plans to relaunch Duke's beverages by Sagar Malviya on Economic Times, 18 Oct 2011
  4. Tantra, Yazdi. "The Duke's Story". Zoroastrians.net. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  5. "The Duke Returns". The Indian Express. 4 December 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  6. "Ananda Bazar Patrika Ltd". Businessworld. 14: 65. 1994.
  7. A.H. Advani on Business India #291–299, p. 94 (1989)
  8. "Duke's brings back the sodas, but will it be the same?". Firstpost.com. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  9. "PepsiCo plans to relaunch Duke's beverages". The Economic Times. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  10. "Odd local drink: Duke's Mumbai masala soda". CNN. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  11. "Retailers find more fizz in Pepsi's Duke soda". The Hindu Business Line. 30 November 2011. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  12. "Bisleri takes a shot at soda again". Business Standard. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  13. PepsiCo sells defunct Duke’s plant for Rs170 crore to Wadhwa Group on Live Mint
  14. Dana, Leo Paul (2010). Entrepreneurship and religion. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-84720-572-8.
  15. Baisya, Rajat K. (2008). Changing face of processed food industry in India. Ane Books Pvt Ltd. p. 152. ISBN 978-81-8052-166-9.
  16. "PepsiCo aims for a bigger Slice". The Hindu Business Line. 26 February 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  17. Advani, A.H. (1989). Business India (291–299): 94. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. "Pepsi peps up Dukes Lemonade ad campaign". The Hindu Business Line. 21 April 2004. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  19. Yoo, David (1999). New spiritual homes: religion and Asian Americans. University of Hawaii Press. p. 240. ISBN 0-8248-2072-X.
  20. King, Niloufer Ichaporia (2007). My Bombay kitchen: traditional and modern Parsi home cooking. University of California Press. p. 270. ISBN 978-0-520-24960-8.
  21. "Coca-Cola is neglecting beautiful Limca". Daily News and Analysis. 26 June 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  22. "Freebies of an unexpected kind". The Financial Express. 2 July 2005. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  23. Fernando, A. C. (2009). Business Ethics: An Indian Perspective. Pearson Education India. pp. 5–23. ISBN 978-81-317-1173-6.
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