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

History

Pakola was the creation of seven brothers from the Teli family of Dhoraji in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, who migrated to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

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 debuted at the

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

base on 14 August 1950, the anniversay of Pakistan's Independence, during an event attended by the first

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (1 October 189516 October 1951) was a Pakistani lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the first prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the he ...

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

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

. This helped increase its consumption and popularity. Pakola

Later'', Pakistan Beverages'' (PB) was founded at Karachi's S.I.T.E. industrial area, which became the production hub for Pakola. In 1979, Pakistan Beverages was announced as a new production facility for

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

. This led to the founding of Mehran Bottlers, managed by Haji Ali Mohammad's nephews, Zafir Habib and Arif Habib. They continued to produce the drink along with other products such as ''Apple Sidra'' and Bubble Up. In 2004, Mehran Bottlers and Pakistan Beverages started manufacturing cans in Pakistan. That same year, 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 formula . It is a Transparency and translucency, colorless Weak acid, weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in Citrus, citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, ...

, 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