In 1976, Khambatta established the popular orange-flavoured beverage brand, which went on to become a household name by the early 1980s. Subsequently, the birth of the Rasna Girl became an instant hit with its iconic “I love you, Rasna” tagline.

‘Rasna’ founder Areez Khambatta passed away at the age of 85 due to cardiac arrest. He created affordable soft drink packs of Rasna in the 1970s as an alternative to soft drink products sold at high costs. ‘I love you Rasna’ campaign of the 80s and 90s still resonates in the minds of people. Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta, the founding chairman of the popular drink Rasna, passed away in Ahmedabad due to a cardiac arrest, the company said on Monday.

The 85-year-old industrialist, who was suffering from a prolonged illness, passed away on November 19. He is survived by his wife Persis, and children Piruz, Delna, and Ruzan, his daughter-in-law Binaisha, and grandkids Arzeen, Arzad, Avan, Areez, Firoza and Arnavaz.

Khambatta, the son of Phiroja, was the second generation to join the business in 1962. The orange-coloured drink gained popularity in the 80s at a time when the Indian beverage market was dominated by carbonated beverage brands such as Limca, Gold Spot, and Thums Up.

His father Phiroja Khambatta started a modest business

Decades back, his father Phiroja Khambatta started a modest business which Areez took to being the largest concentrate manufacturer in the world, with a presence in over 60 countries. He created affordable soft drink packs of Rasna in the 1970s as an alternative to soft drink products sold at high costs. It is sold at 1.8 million retail outlets in the country.

Rasna, which is now the world’s largest gentle drink focus producer, still enjoys a high recall and the brand’s “I love you Rasna” campaign of the 80s and 90s still resonates in the minds of people. A pack of Rasna of Rs 5 can be converted into 32 glasses of soft drinks, costing a mere 15 paise per glass.

Rasna has nine manufacturing plants

Rasna has nine manufacturing plants and a strong distribution network with 26 depots across India, 200 super stockists, 5,000 stockists, 900 salesforce covering 1.6 million outlets. Over the years, Rasna won various awards including the prestigious Superior Taste Award 2008 instituted by The International Taste and Quality Institute, Belgium Cannes Lions London, Monde Selection Award, Master Brand The World Brand Congress Award and ITQI superior taste and quality award.

A few years back, Areez Khambatta passed on the baton of the unlisted business to his son Piruz Khambatta, who is now the Group chairman. “Areez Khambatta has contributed immensely to Indian industry, business, and most importantly societal development through social service,” the Rasna Group said in the statement.

Social Work

A statement issued by the Rasna Group read: “With profound sorrow and grief, we announce the sad passing away of Areez Khambatta – the founder chairman of Rasna Group, chairman of Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust and Rasna Foundation – to his heavenly abode on November 19, 2022.”

Khambatta was the former chairman of the World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthostis (WAPIZ). He also served as the past president of the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat and the vice president of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India.

A recipient of the President of India’s Home Guard

A recipient of the President of India’s Home Guard and Civil Defence Medal as well as the Paschimi Star, Samarseva and Sangram medals, Khambatta was also honoured with the National Citizen’s Award for outstanding contribution in the field of commerce.

“The family is committed to ensuring that his principles of duty to the country first, then our religion and duty to following his ideals be they in business or society, will be engraved in the family DNA for generations to come,” the statement said. The Trust and Foundations under his chairmanship have been involved in various projects to do with health care, education and scholarship.

Khambatta’s efforts created thousands of direct and indirect jobs in India, and the fruit-based pulps helped millions of farmers get better value for the crops across the country, the company added.

In the course of life, Khambatta held various positions in community organizations.

Khambatta was chairman of Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust, which overseas the corporate social responsibility initiatives of the group, and Rasna Foundation. He was also the former chairman of World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthostis, the past president of Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat, and vice president of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India. He was awarded the President of India’s home guard and civil defence medal and the Paschimi Star, Samarseva and Sangram Medals.

Advertiser Sandeep Goyal worked on brand Rasna in the 1990s while working at Mudra Interact Vision. Goyal interacted extensively with Khambatta, and his son, Piruz. Goyal recalls Rasna as the one that appealed to the middle class household.

“It was the thirst quencher for every middle-class family those days. Refreshing, and sweet and social for friends and family. A drink quick and affordable and kids loved it, while the housewife found it a ready source for guest hospitality,” he said. Back then Rasna was a combination of both taste and economy, far better than nimbu paani, and cheaper than squash, but acceptable to all,” he added.

To appreciate the contribution of Khambatta, it is important to understand the 1970s, when the Indian economy was nascent and consumers were forced to opt for costly soft drink products from global beverage makers. Khambatta had the foresight and vision to launch a soft drink pack at Rs. 5, or just about 15 paisa per glass. The soft drink packs not only contained vitamins and minerals, but were 10 times cheaper than the alternative beverages available in the market.

The company was started in the 1940s and initially only sold concentrates and was a business-to-business (B2B) player. It later went on to cater to the business-to-consumer (B2C) market, initially sold under the brand name Jaffe and distributed only within Gujarat. In the late 1970s, Jaffe was relaunched as Rasna.