Indeed, as parantha-and-pickle breakfasts make way for Kellogg's cornflakes and eggs, sunny side up, more and more urban Indian families are clinking their good-mornings over orange juice. Preservative free, and as the harbinger of the revolution, Onjus's punchline goes, `squeezed to please'.

If grocery and department store owners are to be believed, however, Onjus's popularity has taken a beating since a newsmagazine questioned the nationality of the oranges used (company officials were unavailable for comment).

The all-American Tropicana, launched this June by Pepsico India Inc, has steadily inched up as the Favoured Brand, despite being priced the highest (Rs 57 for a one-litre pack). Dabur's Real (sweetened) orange juice, at Rs 48, is priced in-between, while Onjus is the cheapest at Rs 44 per litre. Says a Pepsi spokesperson: ``The market reaction to Tropicana has surpassed our expectations. We're gunning for a 30-per cent share of the pure fruit juice market in the next two-three years.''

Of course, if you're a model, like Ruchi Malhotra or Mekhla Mattoo, the obvious choice is freshly squeezed orange juice. But that's just because Malhotra feels: ``Onjus doesn't taste as natural and preservative-free as they claim, though Tropicana tastes far better.'' But for the rest of us, as Seema Das, freelance illustrator and mother of two, says: ``Oranges are not available all the time, and it's so necessary for kids to have Vitamin C, so natural orange juice in tetrapacks is the best option.''

Of the four brands of 100 pc pure orange juice (that's what distinguishes natural juice from drinks like Frooti) stocked at Nanz outlets, Real sells the most, though Tropicana is fast catching up. ``Onjus has lost out because their marketing is not aggressive enough, but we are surprised that juice sales have hardly fallen, considering it's off-season,'' says Salil Kumar, GM Merchandising, Nanz. Which means, orange juice is no longer perceived as a summer substitute for fizzy drinks, but is a regular fixture on round-the-year grocery lists. Sales of all three brands have increased in the past year.

Take the instance of home-maker Santosh Sharma -- on a monthly grocery shopping spree to the Greater Kailash Nanz -- who's been buying orange juice (and Real's mixed fruit) for a few months. ``It's healthy, my kids like the taste, and since no one has the time to squeeze juice out of oranges these packs make perfect sense,'' she smiles.

Brand awareness is obviously high here. Says Ashwini Munjal, whose family runs Kashmir Dairy, a general goods store in Khan Market: ``Most customers look for a particular brand of orange juice.''

That the nuclear family is the target consumer is confirmed by a Dabur Company spokesperson: ``Ultimately, the market lies in home consumption of pure juices.'' Just look around at the unhealthy garbage dumps, littered with empty one-litre blue, orange and white cartons, and you'll know.