The founder and chairman of Rasna Group, Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta, died on 19 November, the firm said in a statement on Monday.
Rasna which became a household name by the early 1980s, was established by Khambatta in 1976. Rasna still enjoys a high recall and the brand’s “I love you Rasna” campaign is still fresh in the minds of people who grew up in the 80s and 90s.
“It would not be out of place to say that Khambatta started India’s original startup by creating the world famous Rasna brand, which even to this day quenches the thirst of millions at an affordable price of ₹140 offering fruits, vitamins and nutrient supplements,” read the statement by Rasna.
“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.
For years, Rasna competed with the likes of Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
The Ahmedabad-based firm now has a diversified portfolio of spreads, beverage concentrates, soft-drinks, and energy drinks, seeling across over 60 countries, according to Live Mint. It has nine manufacturing plants, and a distribution network with 26 depots in India, besides 200 super-stockists and 5,000 stockists. Its has a network of 1.6 million outlets.
Khambatta is survived by wife Persis, children Piruz, Delna and Ruzan, besides grandchildren Arzeen, Arzad, Avan, Areez, Firoza and Arnavaz.
The death of the founder of Rasna, the iconic brand of the 80s and 90s, brought a flood of memories for people who took to Twitter to pay their tribute to Khambatta.
