Homegrown Cola · India's Favorite Fizz
Thums Up
Photo: Vis M / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
It's the cola that Coca-Cola couldn't beat — when Coke re-entered India in 1993, it ended up buying the local brand instead, and Thums Up still outsells Coke there today.
Thums Up is a strong, spicier, less-sweet cola launched in Mumbai in 1977, distinguished by a sharper fizz and a bolder flavor than international colas. It's sold from roadside stalls and street-food carts across India, often as the go-to chaser for spicy chaat.
Why it's made this way: It became a symbol of homegrown Indian branding that held its ground against Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and remains the country's top-selling cola by a wide margin.
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