[bigman]

Originally Posted by Stanher

They are nearly defunct now. Here are a couple of pics. of the co. HQ at Delhi I found on flickr:

I remember as a kid back around 1990, there was a case against Campa-cola for allegedly containing BVO (Brominated Veg. oil)? I think they had disproved it eventually though.

Kushwant Singh the author was good friends with the late Charanjit Singh who owned Campa and he mentioned that the factory was destroyed during the 84 riots in Delhi. It took a while for them to get new machines etc to restart the factory.

On trips to India I used to enjoy Campa Cola as it tasted better than Thumbs Up. Thumbs Up always left your teeth feeling really bad like after you have one of those own brand colas in western countries.

A shame that the likes of Pepsi and Coca Cola destroyed some of these brands based mainly on their marketing. The products they offer tastewise are no better than what Campa produced.

[f1fan]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Nice memories... Local brands in Udupi/Mangalore area were Beeco-joy and Bajal. In the 90s there was also Manipal Commander, older MIT alumni might remember that.

And let's not forget Rasna, it didn't come in a bottle, but it was a popular cool drink.

Yup, recollect all these drinks. In MIT we used to get Bajal for just 2 bucks. There was also the Chilled flavored milk that was available for 2 bucks. Those were some days.

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Campa Cola, Goldspot, Citra, Energee.
I still love Energee of that era. I believe it is
still available in some pockets in Pune.
Near Sambhaji Park, JM Road. Can anyone confirm ?

Energee is still available in Mumbai.

[Wolfheart]

Originally Posted by SamtheLeo

Well I remember all those & it brought back a lot of memories. However my personal favourite was
CANADA DRY


It was AWSOME to say the least

Canada dry from a cold glass bottle was fantastic. It's available in the US in pet bottles but doesn't come close to how it tastes from a glass bottle.

I'm also a big fan of Onjus (the original one from the 90's) while others said it tasted like Benadryl

[DRIV3R]

Remember Crush ? The orange flavored aerated drink.

[zaks]

Oohh, brings back nostalgic memories. I have had them all, right from Dixi cola, Dukes to Campa cola, Torino, GoldSpot, Canada dry and now with coke, lehar and fanta. The Ads for those Indian brands were ahead of their time and were full of energy. Probably Limca is the only one still holding on.

[tsk13]

I never knew such a great thread existed on TBHP. I Googled for Campa Cola and TBHP Link was amongst the first, officially we're Sabse Tez in Shifting Gears as well .

Does any one remember Schweppes? It was introduced by Cadbury in India and I can recollect free Schweppes, Canada Dry, Crush etc. being distributed on Election days by the company trucks in New Delhi. Moreover, they also had Sport Cola, which was a Sales disaster thanks poor promotion and availability. The local shopkeeper would happily exchange an empty Coke Glass bottle for Pepsi Glass bottle but would never accept Sport Cola's Glass bottle in lieu of glass bottles from Coke/ Pepsi stable.

In Delhi, we still have fake Rim Jhims available in plenty. I've never tasted the original but these fakes have a strong Cumin taste.

Moreover, I think Campa Cola's factory in Moti Nagar has been pulled down and DLF is undertaking a project there. I still remember TATA Red White Campa Cola Trucks and the wooden Crates.

Came across this link which shows Campa Cola factory in Connaught Place, New Delhi (I thought they only had a factory at New Moti Nagar Crossing/ Rama Road near Hans Hyundai/ Harpreet Ford): Ruins | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[khoj]

Originally Posted by tsk13

Does any one remember Schweppes?

Schweppes is a very popular drink and mixes manufacturer in the US. In Delhi & Bombay it is available unofficially in various forms viz ginger ale, tonic water, bloody mary mix, lemonade and soda water.

Originally Posted by tsk13

Moreover, I think Campa Cola's factory in Moti Nagar has been pulled down and DLF is undertaking a project there. I still remember TATA Red White Campa Cola Trucks and the wooden Crates.

Came across this link which shows Campa Cola factory in Connaught Place, New Delhi (I thought they only had a factory at New Moti Nagar Crossing/ Rama Road near Hans Hyundai/ Harpreet Ford): Ruins | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

The factory where the DLF project is coming up was owned by the Shriram group where they used to make 'RATH VANASPATI'. Campa cola used to have a very large storage and distribution godown opposite to this factory in RamaNagar(just across the road actually). Today that storage is still in use but for the current cola warriors.

The Connaught Place factory was the one and only that Campa Cola had in Delhi. It was a hit, what with the school tours that the factory's PR department used to organize. They would give you a tour of the factory and then as much cola as you wanted.

The family that owned Campa Cola (Sardar Charanjeet Singh if I remember correctly, could be wrong though) also owns the hotel Le Meridien at Janpath apart from several other businesses in the Capital.

[Fillmore]

Originally Posted by zaks

Oohh, brings back nostalgic memories. I have had them all, right from Dixi cola, Dukes to Campa cola, Torino, GoldSpot, Canada dry and now with coke, lehar and fanta. The Ads for those Indian brands were ahead of their time and were full of energy. Probably Limca is the only one still holding on.

+1 to that
Also remember my childhood memories of collecting the pictures that used to come inside the bottle caps. You get the entire set then stick it on a form and you get some gift with it.

If I am right these were the themes that came with the bottle caps.

Tornino - Bikes pics
Thums Up - Cricket players caricatures
Gold Spot - Disney characters

Many times we used to force down a drink just to get this pic

[rrahul_2778]

This thread brought back plenty of sweet memories. I love the Bovento and rediscovered it once when me and family were driving interior of TN on the Navagraha tour. But was shocked to see it available in Chennai and my wife was tired of me picking up a bottle everytime we went to the supermarket. Thankfully still the original is available in Chennai.

Does anyone remember the good ol' Goli / Paneer soda??...it is a small bottle of soda that is closed by a marble (goli).

+1 Fillmore - used to push in drink just for the picture that comes inside the bottle caps for some silly gifts. Now if i think, the cost of the colas to collect the pictures were a lot more than the actual gifts .

[manikjeet]

Up north its called as "BANTA" and is still available
i still have empty bottles of campa cola and goldspot and crush and canada dry

ps i use to have a very bad allergic reaction when ever I use to drink crush

[noopster]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

Yep nostalgic.
Does any one remember TORINO ? Orange coloured drink.
The Torino factory still exists in Bangalore ( Mysore road)

Yup- when we went to visit cousins in Bangalore, we'd always be amused by the total absence of Thums Up/Limca/Gold Spot in the shops there. Torino was my favourite back then!

Originally Posted by serious_maniac

Brings back memories. Gold Spot "the zing thing" - one of the best jingles of the times.

I am glad that Indian born Thums Up is alive and doing very well (best among colas)

~maniac

Agree. The zing thing campaign was quite amazing. In fact when Coke came in, the first thing they did was kill off all the Parle brands. But Thums Up has such strong brand equity that they were forced to resurrect it! Even Limca has made a comeback. Alas, Gold Spot has been sacrificed at the altar in favour of the insipid Fanta

Originally Posted by greenhorn

we still get 'Sprint' here in kerala

Nice. Perhaps when I (finally) make my long-planned Kerala roadtrip, we can share one

[Fantasy]

what? campa is no longer there? man, it's one of the things i looked forward to on my trips to india in the past. both campa and thumbs up. they both had very distinct flavours. the one with the "marble" was a treat as well...but i drank it without adding the masala to it. tasted better to me that way.

[vinukm]

Originally Posted by Gansan

There was one other drink "Bovonto" - the tag line was "bouncy fun, this one"!

I think the one brand still surviving from that period is Fruitnik.

I remember having Bovento in 2002. Its a product of some Coimbatore based company. Apart from that they also have Ginger Beer etc. Not sure if it still survives.

[Chipz]

Campa cola used to have a factory or godown near shivaji bridge (or was it tilak bridge) station near delhi. I used to drink campa with salt which was available there in a small counter opposite the ticket counter...my favourite one was the orange flavour...good old days

The marble one was called "kancha" in faridabad.. it was sweet flavored...
Here in kerala we get it but it is not sweet, just plain water and soda, but the kancha is there .

[tsk13]

Originally Posted by khoj

Schweppes is a very popular drink and mixes manufacturer in the US. In Delhi & Bombay it is available unofficially in various forms viz ginger ale, tonic water, bloody mary mix, lemonade and soda water.

The cans and tonic bottles are very popular here. But I miss the Lemon Schweppes, it tasted refreshingly good. Tangy Lemon!

Originally Posted by khoj

The factory where the DLF project is coming up was owned by the Shriram group where they used to make 'RATH VANASPATI'. Campa cola used to have a very large storage and distribution godown opposite to this factory in RamaNagar(just across the road actually). Today that storage is still in use but for the current cola warriors.

Thanks for info, Khoj. Your handle suits you, very informative. I think you meant Rama Road, that place is also known for Delhi's heaven for alloy wheels, Sai Mag. Next time I pass by this road, I shall check for the Campa Cola Building.

Originally Posted by khoj

The Connaught Place factory was the one and only that Campa Cola had in Delhi. It was a hit, what with the school tours that the factory's PR department used to organize. They would give you a tour of the factory and then as much cola as you wanted.

Khoj, I'm shocked to know that Campa was way ahead of its times. I mean PR Activities, amazing jingles and other branding aspects which we talk of today were implemented long ago by them.

Khoj, is the CP plant still there? Moreover, can you shed more light on the exact location?

Originally Posted by khoj

The family that owned Campa Cola (Sardar Charanjeet Singh if I remember correctly, could be wrong though) also owns the hotel Le Meridien at Janpath apart from several other businesses in the Capital.

Yeah, it's Sardar Charanjeet Singh, my Dad told me about him and Le Meridien as well.

Originally Posted by Fantasy

what? campa is no longer there? man, it's one of the things i looked forward to on my trips to india in the past. both campa and thumbs up. they both had very distinct flavours. the one with the "marble" was a treat as well...but i drank it without adding the masala to it. tasted better to me that way.

Campa is still there but with different owners and limited availability. In this thread, there is a link posted which talks of new owners, Satya Beverages and where it is available in Delhi.

The 'Marble' aka 'Banta' is easily available now. Prince Paan Corner in M-Block Market, Greater Kailash-1 is known for his Nimbu Masala drinks.