The article looks at Shan Foods’s April Fool’s Day campaign announcing a fictional range of Masala Cola flavours, briefly outlining the brand’s legacy in South Asian cooking before focusing on how the prank worked through oddly believable flavour combinations like Pani Puri and Chaat Masala. It frames the campaign as effective because it tapped into existing tastes and street drink cultures, and showing how far familiar flavour profiles can be pushed within contemporary food marketing.
This year for April Fool’s Day, Karachi-based Shan Foods rolled out a full-blown campaign announcing a new line of Masala Cola. Not one, not two, but four flavours that sounded equal parts chaotic and weirdly believable — Tandoori, Pani Puri, Chaat Masala, and Butter Chicken. The branding was spot on, the cans looked retail-ready, and the captions leaned into that ‘limited drop’ marketing. The colas really felt like something that might make you eyes light up in a supermarket before you pick it up.
Part of why it worked is also the identity Shan Foods has built for itself. The company has been around since 1981, starting as a small home-based operation in Karachi before growing into a global food player with products across more than 70 countries. Over the years, it has built its reputation on spice mixes, recipe bases, and ready-to-cook products that basically define everyday South Asian cooking. So when Shan talks about flavour, people listen. Even when it’s something as cursed as Butter Chicken Cola.
The flavours themselves were the real hook. Tandoori Masala Cola was positioned as smoky and bold, Pani Puri leaned into tangy, spicy notes, Chaat Masala promised that familiar zesty hit, and Butter Chicken was described as creamy and rich. On paper, it sounds ridiculous. In practice, it taps into a very real and specific taste South Asians have for hot & sweet spices. Masala soda already exists in different forms across India and Pakistan, from street stalls to homemade hacks. Shan just pushed that idea to its most extreme version and packaged it like a global FMCG launch.
But that’s also how you know it wasn’t real. The Butter Chicken one especially gave it away. It may be an iconic, quintessentially South Asian delicacy but a cool summer drink it is not. On the day of, the brand admitted it was an April Fool’s prank, and addressed the reaction to the campaign. Comments were full of people saying they’d try the Pani Puri or Chaat versions without hesitation.
Which makes sense. We drink the former already when we eat Pani puri and the latter is also used in many regional drinks, especially in the summer. You don’t need convincing. While Shan Foods announced that the Masala Colas will not be hitting the shelves. Fortunately they do have something else cooking which they plan to share on a new page titled Shan House Specials. I, for one, still hope they surprise us with a batch of Masala Colas anyway, now that they’ve filled us up with dreams of a very desi and zesty summer refreshment.
Follow Shan Foods here, just in case they do.
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