Duke and Sons
{{Short description|Defunct Indian manufacturer of soft drinks}}
{{Redirect|Duke's|the condiment brand|Duke's Mayonnaise}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Duke and Sons Pvt. Ltd
| logo = Duke brand india logo.png
| logo_size = 120
| image = Dukes chembur5.JPG
| image_size = 150
| image_caption = The Duke's plant in Chembur
| type = Private
| industry = Food
| predecessor =
| founded = 1889
| founder = Dinshawji Pandole
| defunct = {{end date and age|1994}}
| fate = Acquired by PepsiCo in 1994, became a brand
| successor =
| hq_location_city = Chembur
| hq_location_country = India
| area_served =
| key_people =
| products = Soft drinks
| owner = Pandole family (1889–1994)
| num_employees =
| num_employees_year =
| parent = PepsiCo
| subsid =
| brands = Duke's Lemonade
Duke's Mangola
| website =
}}
Duke and Sons Pvt. Ltd was an Indian manufacturing company based in Mumbai. Established in 1889, Duke produced and marketed soft drinks.{{cite book|last=Reed|first=Sir Stanley|title=The Times of India directory and year book including who's who|year=1972|publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Co.|pages=xxi}} It was originally owned by the Pandole family, a well-known Parsi business name.{{cite news|title=Ratan Tata is richest Parsi in India|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2002-06-16/news/27361301_1_parsi-community-market-capitalisation-ratan-tata/2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116022651/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2002-06-16/news/27361301_1_parsi-community-market-capitalisation-ratan-tata/2|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 16, 2013|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=16 June 2002}} In 1994, the company was acquired by Pepsi, which relaunched the Duke's brand in 2011 through its Indian subsidiary.[https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/food/pepsico-plans-to-relaunch-dukes-beverages/articleshow/10395154.cms?from=mdr PepsiCo plans to relaunch Duke's beverages] by Sagar Malviya on Economic Times, 18 Oct 2011
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.{{cite web |last1=Tantra |first1=Yazdi |title=The Duke's Story |url=https://zoroastrians.net/2021/08/24/the-dukes-story/ |website=Zoroastrians.net |access-date=September 4, 2022}} 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.{{cite news|title=The Duke Returns|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-duke-returns/883756/0|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=4 December 2011}} When sold, Duke's had a 55% market share in the segments it operated in Mumbai and Maharashtra.{{cite journal|title=Ananda Bazar Patrika Ltd|journal=Businessworld|year=1994|volume= 14|pages=65}}
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.A.H. Advani on Business India #291–299, p. 94 (1989) When Coca-Cola first launched in India in the 1950s, Duke's launched Mangola, a mango flavoured juice drink to survive competition. 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.{{cite news|title=Duke's brings back the sodas, but will it be the same?|url=http://www.firstpost.com/mumbai/dukes-brings-back-the-sodas-but-will-it-be-the-same-111091.html|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=Firstpost.com|date=19 October 2011}}
Pepsico manufactured the drinks until 2004, when it discontinued all the drinks apart from Lemonade and Mangola. 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.{{cite news|title=PepsiCo plans to relaunch Duke's beverages|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-10-18/news/30295860_1_lemon-flavoured-pepsico-plans-pepsico-india|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116022706/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-10-18/news/30295860_1_lemon-flavoured-pepsico-plans-pepsico-india|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 16, 2013|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=18 October 2011}}
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.{{cite news|title=Odd local drink: Duke's Mumbai masala soda|url=http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/drink/dukes-retro-indian-pop-sodas-are-back-business-011455|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=CNN|date=24 October 2011}} 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.{{cite news|title=Retailers find more fizz in Pepsi's Duke soda|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/marketing/article2671550.ece|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=The Hindu Business Line|date=30 November 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203023858/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/marketing/article2671550.ece|archive-date=3 February 2012}} Pepsi relaunched Duke's Soda as well, as part of a strategy to increase market share with the help of regional brands.{{cite news|title=Bisleri takes a shot at soda again|url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/bisleri-takesshot-at-soda-again/465090/|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=Business Standard|date=19 February 2012}}
In 2017, PepsiCo sold the defunct Duke's plant at Chembur for about Rs170 crore.[https://www.livemint.com/Companies/H8SpgTRRyRoXUxC7Rlm1eN/PepsiCo-sells-defunct-Duke-plant-for-Rs170-crore-to-Wadhwa-G.html PepsiCo sells defunct Duke’s plant for Rs170 crore to Wadhwa Group] on Live Mint
Products
=Duke's Mangola=
Duke's Mangola is a mango flavoured drink marketed by PepsiCo in India.{{cite book|last=Dana|first=Leo Paul|title=Entrepreneurship and religion|year=2010|publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing|isbn=978-1-84720-572-8|pages=71}} 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.{{cite news|title=The Duke Returns|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-duke-returns/883756/0|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=4 December 2011}}
Marketed in western India, Duke's Mangola was the market leader in the segment in that region.{{cite book|last=Baisya|first=Rajat K.|title=Changing face of processed food industry in India|year=2008|publisher=Ane Books Pvt Ltd|isbn=978-81-8052-166-9|pages=152}} 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.{{cite news|title=PepsiCo aims for a bigger Slice|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-marketing/article984943.ece?ref=archive|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=The Hindu Business Line|date=26 February 2010}}
=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. {{cite journal|last=Advani|first=A.H.|journal=Business India|year=1989|issue=291–299|pages=94}} 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.{{cite news|title=The Duke Returns|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-duke-returns/883756/0|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=4 December 2011}} 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".{{cite news|title=Pepsi peps up Dukes Lemonade ad campaign|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2004/04/21/stories/2004042102091700.htm|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=The Hindu Business Line|date=21 April 2004}}
Duke's Lemonade was once a favorite in Irani cafés.{{cite book|last=Yoo|first=David|title=New spiritual homes: religion and Asian Americans|year=1999|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=0-8248-2072-X|pages=240}} It is also used as a mixer with alcohol based drinks.{{cite book|last=King|first=Niloufer Ichaporia|title=My Bombay kitchen: traditional and modern Parsi home cooking|year=2007|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-24960-8|pages=270}} 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.{{cite news|title=Coca-Cola is neglecting beautiful Limca|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_coca-cola-is-neglecting-beautiful-limca_1173659|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=Daily News and Analysis|date=26 June 2008}}
==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.{{cite news|title=Freebies of an unexpected kind|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/freebies-of-an-unexpected-kind/143038/0|access-date=21 February 2012|newspaper=The Financial Express|date=2 July 2005}} In 2006, Indian authorities tested leading cola brands, including Duke's Lemonade and found that they contained high level of pesticides.{{cite book|last=Fernando|first=A. C.|title=Business Ethics: An Indian Perspective|year=2009|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-1173-6|pages=5–23}}