Zam Zam Cola
Encyclopedia
Zam Zam Cola is a cola-flavoured
soft drink
produced in Iran
by Zamzam Soft Drink Mfg. Co.
It is particularly popular in Iran
and parts of the Arab World
, having gained a cult status there as a Muslim alternative to "Western
" products such as Coca-Cola
and Pepsi
. Zam Zam is also one of the few remaining soda companies in Iran that uses refillable glass bottles.
The director of the Zam Zam Cola Company is Ahmad-Haddad Moghaddam. The Zam Zam Cola Company is owned by the Bonyad-e Mostazafen va Janbazan
, the Foundation for the Oppressed and Disabled, the largest of Iran's powerful Bonyad
s.
created in Iran in 1954 as the first Iranian carbonated soft drink producer, Zam Zam became its own corporation following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Following the 2002 boycott
of Coca-Cola
by Saudi Arabia
, Zam Zam was unofficially dubbed the soft drink of the Hajj
.
It is also sold in Europe
and in some parts of Asia
.
The product's name is a reference to the Well of Zamzam
in Mecca
, that is one of the stops on the Islamic pilgrimage of the Hajj
.
The headquarters of Zam Zam are in Tehran, Iran. The bottling facility in Tehran is a popular attraction where people can see the drink being bottled. Due to the bottling facility's proximity to Mehrebad airport tourists often stop to look.
The production was at first a single production line, and now it owns seventeen beverage plants in Iran as well as several international companies, which produce and distribute Zam Zam products under its licence.
The Zam Zam company has developed the most well equipped beverage concentrate plant in the Middle East.
Zam Zam Iran Co has had significant presence in domestic and international markets,and produces over one hundred diverse products including Cola, Lemon, Orange, Lemonade, Mango, Mineral Water, non-alcoholic malt beverage etc.
Zam Zam is also available in the United Arab Emirates and other surrounding nations.
Cola
Cola is a carbonated beverage that was typically flavored by the kola nut as well as vanilla and other flavorings, however, some colas are now flavored artificially. It became popular worldwide after druggist John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886...
soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
produced in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
by Zamzam Soft Drink Mfg. Co.
It is particularly popular in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and parts of the Arab World
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
, having gained a cult status there as a Muslim alternative to "Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
" products such as Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
and Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
. Zam Zam is also one of the few remaining soda companies in Iran that uses refillable glass bottles.
The director of the Zam Zam Cola Company is Ahmad-Haddad Moghaddam. The Zam Zam Cola Company is owned by the Bonyad-e Mostazafen va Janbazan
Bonyad-e Mostazafen va Janbazan
The Mostazafen Foundation of Islamic Revolution formerly Bonyad-e Mostazafen va Janbazan is a charitable bonyad, or foundation, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the second-largest commercial enterprise in Iran behind the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company and biggest holding company in the...
, the Foundation for the Oppressed and Disabled, the largest of Iran's powerful Bonyad
Bonyad
Bonyads are charitable trusts in Iran that play a significant role in Iran's non-petroleum economy, controlling an estimated 20% of Iran's GDP. Exempt from taxes, they have been called "bloated", and "a major weakness of Iran’s economy", and criticized for reaping "huge subsidies from government",...
s.
History of the brand
Originally a subsidiary of PepsiPepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
created in Iran in 1954 as the first Iranian carbonated soft drink producer, Zam Zam became its own corporation following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Following the 2002 boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
of Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
by Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Zam Zam was unofficially dubbed the soft drink of the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
.
It is also sold in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and in some parts of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
The product's name is a reference to the Well of Zamzam
Zamzam Well
The Well of Zamzam is a well located within the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, east of the Kaaba, the holiest place in Islam...
in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, that is one of the stops on the Islamic pilgrimage of the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
.
The headquarters of Zam Zam are in Tehran, Iran. The bottling facility in Tehran is a popular attraction where people can see the drink being bottled. Due to the bottling facility's proximity to Mehrebad airport tourists often stop to look.
The production was at first a single production line, and now it owns seventeen beverage plants in Iran as well as several international companies, which produce and distribute Zam Zam products under its licence.
The Zam Zam company has developed the most well equipped beverage concentrate plant in the Middle East.
Zam Zam Iran Co has had significant presence in domestic and international markets,and produces over one hundred diverse products including Cola, Lemon, Orange, Lemonade, Mango, Mineral Water, non-alcoholic malt beverage etc.
Zam Zam is also available in the United Arab Emirates and other surrounding nations.
External links
- Zam Zam Cola website
- Zam Zam Foods North America Inc, distributors in the United States and Canada.
- "Cola wars as Islam shuns the real thing", article from The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, October 11, 2002.