The entrepreneur and Padma Shri recipient died of a cardiac arrest in Ghaziabad’s Mohan Nagar area, after keeping unwell in his last years.

Brigadier (retd) Kapil Mohan – the former Chairman and Managing director of Mohan Meakin ltd and the man behind the global success of the popular Old Monk Rum – passed away at the age of 88 on Tuesday.

Reportedly, the entrepreneur and the front face of the first known brewery in India died of a cardiac arrest in Ghaziabad’s Mohan Nagar area, after keeping unwell in his last years.

Mohan, a Padma Shri recipient in 2010, took over charge as the MD and Chairman of the Mohan Meakin and led a major diversification of the company which was earlier known as the Dyer Meakin Breweries. Till 1966, Mohan was at the helm of the Trade Links Pvt ltd.

Following the launch of Old Monk in December 19, 1994, Mohan led the company to develop three distilleries, two breweries and a whole bunch of new franchise in the country.

While Old Monk dominated the brewery sector for years, being the largest selling dark rum for in the world for several years, the company recently has been reportedly planning to take its beverage off the market amid rapid drop in the sales.

Since then the company, Mohan Meakin has been making investments in other business areas such as malt houses, glass factories, breakfast food, fruit products and juices, malt extract factories, cold storages, engineering works and others. The present turnover of Mohan Meakin’s multi-faceted business house exceeds Rs 400 crore.

The origin of the iconic Mohan Meakin Ltd comes from a brewery established by Edward Dyer in 1985. Later in the century, HG Meakin founded Meakin & Co Ltd and bought Simla and Kasauli Breweries and constructed new breweries at Dalhousie, Ranikhet, Chakrarta, Darjeeling and Kirkee. Later the two companies joined to form the Dyer Meakin & Co Ltd. The name of the company changed to Mohan Meakin Breweries Ltd in 1966 and later from 1980 it is known as the Mohan Meakin Ltd.