After clocking in ₹535 crore in net revenue in FY25, Chandigarh-based Lahori Beverages, maker of the popular Lahori Zeera soda, is targeting revenues worth ₹800 crore in the current financial year. The company, which has stayed profitable and bootstrapped through its first five years, is also gearing up for the GCC market debut, initially targeting the Indian diaspora.

Founded in 2017 by cousins Saurabh Munjal, Nikhil Doda, and Saurabh Bhutna, Lahori Zeera has carved out a niche in India’s crowded soft drink market. Its flagship drink—a carbonated blend of cumin, lemon, black pepper, dry ginger, and sendha namak—has struck a chord with consumers seeking spice-based, familiar flavours.

Now, with domestic dominance within reach and overseas expansion on cards, Lahori Zeera is positioning itself as a ₹1,000-crore beverage force firmly rooted in desi taste. “The rise of Lahori Zeera is not just about market share; it is about India recognising itself in a bottle,” says Amarpreet Singh, brand strategist and founder, Curious Brands, a branding agency. “At a time when beverages are sold with celebrity sheen and advertising muscle, here is a drink that grows on the strength of taste and memory alone.”

Agrees Sidhharrth S. Kumaar, brand analyst at NumroVani. “By combining nostalgia, affordability, and community appeal, Lahori builds strong habit loops—key to long-term sustainability,” he says. 

Industry experts attribute Lahori’s rapid rise to its asset-light co-bottling strategy, which mirrors Bisleri’s model. “Bisleri has a manufacturing unit every 200 km in India. That’s the kind of footprint we want. We have signed four co-bottlers so far and plan to sign agreements with 20 of them in the next two years,” says Nikhil Doda, co-founder and COO. While the raw material sourcing and sales are managed in-house, co-bottlers handle the production.

“MNCs rely on dedicated plants, but Lahori’s model uses spare capacities for rapid, flexible expansion,” said Santosh Sreedhar, partner at Avalon Consulting. This approach has enabled quick entry into Tier II and III markets, nimble flavour adaptation, and efficient logistics—advantages global players often lack.

Leveraging decades of family expertise in carbonation, Lahori scaled up without any marketing in its first five years. Today, it produces five million bottles daily, with 30–40% of sales coming from family packs. The company employs 1,800 people and has more than 2,000 distributors and 800,000 retail outlets. The company plans to set up a new plant in Lucknow and three additional co-packing units, which will double production capacity to 10 million bottles per day, this year.

Experts believe Lahori’s ambition to hit ₹800 crore in revenue and expand internationally without external funding is bold but achievable. “Smart pricing, rapid rural distribution, and authentic flavour positioning give Lahori a real edge—₹800 crore is a very reasonable target if they can push more volume through their existing network,” said S. Venkat, founder & chief growth officer, Practus.

In India, faith in the product and cultural resonance might carry Lahori far. “But in the GCC, it will be carrying not just a drink but an idea of India,” Curious Brands’ Singh notes.

According to N. Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research, sustaining growth will depend on scaling distribution without diluting its identity. “Lean operations give Lahori agility—a meaningful edge over global giants,” he says.