Shezan International Limited () is a Pakistani beverage manufacturer based in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...

. It is one of the biggest food and beverage manufacturers in Pakistan. Two of their most famous brands are All Pure and Twist. This company is a part of Shahnawaz Group and is traded on the

Pakistan Stock Exchange The Pakistan Stock Exchange ( ur, , abbreviated as PSX) is a stock exchange in Pakistan with trading floors in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. PSX was classified by MSCI as a frontier market on 8 September 2021. The PSX was established on ...

.Shezan International business summary and stock quote on MarketScreener.com website
Retrieved 23 December 2020 Since its inception in 1964, Shezan has produced various products including soft drinks, juices, ketchups, and jams. The company is also the single largest grower of mangoes in Pakistan, and employs roughly 1,000 persons. The company is best known for its trademark product, 'Shezan Mango', a mango juice drink popular in Pakistan.

History

Shezan International was incorporated on May 13, 1964; conceived as a joint venture by the Shahnawaz Group, Pakistan and Alliance Industrial Development Corporation, United States in 1964. Shezan remains amongst Pakistan's largest food processing units, having developed and installed the capacity to meet the country's domestic as well as export needs. In 1971, Shahnawaz Group purchased all the shares of Alliance Industrial Development Corporation with the permission of the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territorie ...

. In 1980–81, a separate unit was installed in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...

, which now caters for Karachi,

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

and also meets the export demand. A bottle filling plant was set up in 1983 in

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. An independent

Tetra Brik Tetra Brik is a brand name for a carton package produced by the Swedish packaging company Tetra Pak. Its shape is cubic or cuboid, and it is available with or without various different caps. The Tetra Brik is the best-known and most sold packag ...

plant was commissioned in 1987. In 1990, it was decided to install a juice factory at Hattar,

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

, Pakistan. Shezan International's head office is located in Lahore, Pakistan. In England, Nuovo Foods Limited is the authorized distributor for all Shezan products. They conduct all the import and distribution of juices, jams, pickles, chutneys, sauces, syrups and squashes. In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, Target Foods is authorized distributor. In

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...

, Sajeeb foods is authorized distributor for all Shezan products.

Controversy

Shezan has been the frequent target of controversy due to the

Ahmadi Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...

affiliation of its owners. Several campaigns led by religious conservatives have in the past targeted Shezan, calling for its boycott, and subsequent ban.

Shezan products ban

In 2012, campaigns by traditionally bright Islamic groups found a more liberal voice, amongst these were lawyers from

Lahore Bar Association Lahore Bar Association is a professional organization of lawyers in Lahore, Pakistan. Its members historically played a major role in the Pakistani independence movement.{{Cite web, url=http://nation.com.pk/lahore/11-Jan-2014/lahore-bar-associatio ...

. Soon thereafter, The

also banned Shezan products from its premises and subordinate court complexes, threatening tough actions against anyone found buying the drink. The move came as 100 lawyers unanimously voted for the ban on Shezan drinks and products.

Attacks

As a consequence of the numerous initiatives to boycott Shezan products in systematic

Anti-Ahmadiyya The Ahmadiyya branch of Islam has been subject to various forms of religious persecution and discrimination since the movement's inception in 1889. The Ahmadiyya Muslim movement emerged from the Sunni tradition of Islam and its adherents be ...

campaigns, several attacks have been recorded against Shezan factories. In June 2010, unidentified assailants stormed a Shezan factory after which high-explosive bombs were detonated that left four injured.

References

External links

Shezan International Limited
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shezan International Pakistani drinks Pakistani brands Food and drink companies established in 1964 1964 establishments in Pakistan Desi cuisine Drink companies of Pakistan Manufacturing companies based in Lahore Ahmadiyya in Pakistan Companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange