“Why can’t a global beverage brand come from India?” - Meet the Three Cousins Who Built a Desi Beverage Brand that Clocked Rs 312 Cr in FY24

Walk into any local kirana store anywhere in India, and chances are you’ll spot a ₹10 bottle of Lahori Zeera nestled between legacy soft drink brands. It’s fizzy, spiced, and distinctly Indian - everything mainstream sodas aren’t. 

What began as a kitchen experiment among three cousins has grown into a brand that challenges global cola brands with nothing but sheer conviction, authentic taste, and grassroots hustle. 

Meet the Founders

Cousins Saurabh Munjal, Nikhil Doda, and Saurabh Bhutna (Sunny) launched Lahori Zeera with a shared love for food, complementary skills, and the ambition to build something authentically Indian. 

"We’re first cousins, the same age, and have grown up together. This built a deep bond and an instinctive understanding between us. Doing something together was always the dream," shared Nikhil Doda.

Saurabh, the CEO, completed his MBA in Singapore and briefly worked in trade finance. Nikhil, the COO, had experience in hospitality and operations. Saurabh (Sunny), the CBO, with a background in the textile business, brought execution muscle. 

Together, they formed the founding team of the Ethnic Indian Beverage Brand - Lahori Zeera. 

The Accidental Discovery

The idea for Lahori Zeera was born on a random evening. 

During a dinner at Nikhil’s house, he served a homemade spiced drink. Saurabh and Sunny were blown away by its taste. 

"It was like when your mom bakes a cake, and you realise it’s better than anything from the market," Saurabh recalled in a podcast.

Spotting the Gap

The idea to build an Indian beverage brand wasn’t just about passion, it was also about a glaring gap they saw in the market.

Across kirana shelves and supermarket coolers, the same two or three cola brands dominated. Despite India’s rich food and spice culture, there was barely any representation of desi flavours in the bottled beverage space.

“Every country with a strong food culture has local drinks that people are proud of,” said Saurabh. “In India, that space was empty. Jaljeera, aam panna, shikanji—everyone loves them. But no brand had owned that category at scale.”

They spotted the gap early on. 

“We saw people loved these flavours. But they were either homemade or sold in small dhabas. No one had bottled them properly,” Nikhil said.

That insight became the backbone of Lahori Zeera. 

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Bootstrapping with Family Loans

Instead of seeking external capital, the founders borrowed money from their families. They also visited more than 30 bottling plants to understand operations. 

"Our families pooled in the money. They said, 'Use it if it helps, return it if it works,'" said Saurabh. With these funds, they set out to build a bottling plant.

Building a Desi Beverage Brand

The team focused on getting the product right before building a brand. 

For the first five years, there was no advertising. "At the beginning, we had no money to give products on credit and no money for advertisements," Nikhil shared.

One of the lesser-known advantages they had was the deep industry experience of Nikhil’s father, who had been in the beverages business for decades. His insights into distribution networks, bottling challenges, and FMCG sales cycles proved invaluable as the team navigated an unfamiliar industry. 

"My dad had been running a beverage distribution business for over 30 years. We didn’t need to learn everything from scratch because he gave us a blueprint—where to get machines, how to talk to retailers, how margins work," Nikhil shared in an interview. 

This helped them make smart decisions early on, especially in sourcing machinery, setting up the supply chain, and establishing their first distributor relationships.

Naming the Brand

Choosing the name wasn't straightforward. 

Initially, they considered naming it "Amritsari" due to Amritsar's strong food heritage. 

"But Amritsari was too long, it didn’t roll off the tongue, and just didn’t feel right," Saurabh explained in a podcast.

Eventually, they landed on "Lahori." 

"Lahore is also synonymous with amazing food, and all our drinks had one common ingredient - Lahori salt. It just made sense. Lahori Zeera captured the flavour, the roots, and the authenticity," said Saurabh.

Launching Lahori Zeera

In May 2017, without any grand launch event or PR buzz, Lahori Zeera quietly entered the market. No celebrity faces, no billboards - just a fizzy, spiced drink in a modest bottle priced at ₹10.

The founders had done their groundwork. Before the first bottle even rolled out of their plant, they had already begun building trust with shopkeepers across Chandigarh and Ludhiana. Sampling, gathering feedback, locking in pre-orders—this wasn’t a startup playing by the book. It was three cousins doing things their way.

“We didn’t want to wait for perfection,” Saurabh recalled. “What we had was unique. People liked it. That was enough to get started.”

They didn’t offer a range of products. 

Just one. Lahori Zeera. A single SKU. And the ambition to make it the go-to drink for the masses.

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A ₹10 Masterpiece

India is a price-sensitive market, and the ₹10 price point was non-negotiable. 

"We knew we had to sell at ₹10. So we built everything backwards - from production costs to distribution margins - so we could make it profitable," said Saurabh.

"We ensured the beverages remained budget-friendly without compromising quality," added Nikhil.

This pricing made the drink accessible across India. 

They focused on distribution and making the drink available in general trade stores. 

Overcoming Operational Challenges

Setting up in Punjab meant dealing with inflated land prices and red tape.

They had to buy agricultural land and convert it, facing delays with pollution and groundwater clearances.

Despite the challenges, they kept costs low and systems tight. "90% of beverage sales in India still happen through GT. We decided to win there first," said Saurabh.

Lahori now has 85 distributors across 20 states. Each is experienced in the beverage trade.

"They aren’t just partners. They guide us, share feedback, and help refine our go-to-market strategies," said Nikhil.

Early Distribution Efforts

Their first distributor refused to pay in advance. 

It was a pivotal moment. Instead of compromising, the three founders took matters into their own hands. They packed bottles into their truck and spent days visiting individual retailers. At each stop, they offered samples, shared their story, and built interest.

Retailers, impressed by the taste and confident no-credit policy, began placing small prepaid orders. With handwritten slips in hand and proof of demand, they returned to the distributor, who was now convinced.

"We didn’t want to start on credit. We were clear: we’re building a brand, not a loan recovery agency," said Saurabh.

"Those few days taught us everything we needed to know about our customer. People loved the product, but more importantly, they believed in us because we showed up in person," he added.

"The retailer becomes your salesman. If he believes in your product, he will push it," Saurabh emphasised. That early grassroots hustle became their blueprint for scaling distribution—one store, one believer at a time.

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Har Koi Peera, Lahori Zeera

For the longest time, Lahori Zeera didn’t spend a rupee on advertising. 

While others chased Instagram influencers and TV spots, they kept things simple—get the product into as many hands as possible.

“We had no marketing budget,” Saurabh said. “Our product had to do the talking.”

It wasn’t until 2023 - six years after launch, that they dropped their first ad campaign: Har Koi Peera, Lahori Zeera. It didn’t feature any celebrities. Just everyday people, a cheeky voiceover, and the unmistakable energy of the brand.

“We met 25 agencies. The 26th one nailed it,” Saurabh recalled. “As soon as we heard the script, we just knew.”

The ad blew up on LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and industry groups. Marketers loved it. So did consumers. Without big spending, the brand had achieved what most startups dream of—organic virality.

“We wanted to do something like Fogg,” Saurabh added. “No face, no gimmick. Just pure recall.”

A Rs 312 Cr Revenue

In FY24, Lahori Zeera achieved a revenue of ₹312 crore, reflecting a 47.2% increase from ₹212 crore in FY23. The company's profits also saw a significant rise, tripling to ₹22.5 crore in FY24 from ₹7.6 crore the previous year.

"Profitability shouldn’t be a question. Commerce, by definition, is about buying low and selling high. Not buying and losing money," CEO Saurabh said.

Customer Reception

It wasn’t just the numbers that told the founders they were on the right track - it was the people.

From ministers unknowingly serving Lahori Zeera at house parties to kids at traffic lights sipping it with glee, the feedback came from all corners.

“Someone sent me a picture of our bottle on a puja table next to sweets,” Saurabh smiled. “That’s when I knew—this is more than just a drink.”

One moment that stayed with him was when a minister in Punjab offered him a Lahori Zeera at his home, unaware he was serving it to one of the founders.

“I didn’t say anything. I just smiled and sipped it,” Saurabh shared. “It hit differently that day.”

Another time, he saw a little boy selling flowers at a red light, sipping a chilled Lahori Zeera from a plastic cup.

“That’s why ₹10 matters,” Saurabh said. “That drink belongs to him too.”

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Expansion & Future Plans

Lahori Zeera now offers seven flavours, but Zeera remains the flagship. 

"When we started, the idea was pretty clear—we wanted to create something for the masses," said Nikhil.

While digital sales remain small, the brand is present in general trade, modern retail, and on its own website. Export inquiries are pouring in from the Middle East and North America.

"We won’t enter a market unless we can do it right," said Saurabh.

Retail giants like D-Mart and Reliance are now approaching the brand, with no listing fees required. Acquisition offers have also come their way, but the founders remain focused on building independently. 

"We're not even entertaining exits right now. The goal is to build a brand that can stand globally on its own," Saurabh affirmed.

From a kitchen experiment to a ₹312 crore business, Lahori Zeera proves that authenticity, hustle, and staying desi at heart can disrupt even the most established players.