INCA Cola

INCA Kola is a very popular Fizzy drink originating in the Peru. This Cola is widespread in part of the South America, and although it does not have same success as the multinationals of the market elsewhere, one finds it in Latin America in the specialized stores in the world specialities. Its sweetened taste is assimilated by certain like that of the Chewing gum. Of a yellowish color, it is sold out of bottle out of glass and plastic of various sizes and quills of the same color decorated with a reason INCA. From 2005, INCA Kola is sold in the supermarkets of the the United States in bottles of two liters, quills and individual bottles.

History

In 1910, close to Rimac, one of oldest and the most traditional districts of Lima, an immigrant family of England created a small company of congestion which they named Lindley (their family name). Gradually, this company was a success and in 1928, it formally became related to the Peru, where Jose R. Lindley became its first managing director.

Thanks to its friendly relations with a manufacturer of local drinks, Lindley learned the receipt from an ancestral beverage prepared starting from Lemongrass ( Aloysia triphylla ), " Hierba Luisa" in Spanish. He appreciated the taste and tried out of it varied mixtures, other ingredients and various levels of gasification until in 1935, where the company launched " INCA Kola" under the slogan " There is only one INCA Kola and it does not resemble any autre" ( INCA Kola sólo Hay una No parece has ninguna there), a single perfume, a drink sweetened slightly gas.

In the middle of the years 1940, INCA Kola was already the leader of the market with Lima, and, thanks to the innovations made in 1945, the capacity of congestion believed strongly and regularly and positioned this product like a traditional Peruvian drink, by using the national iconographic symbols and of native-born people of America.

At the end of the years 1950, INCA Kola profited from an enormous increase in the national consumption, which reached 38 % of the market in 1970, eclipsing all other sodas in Peru and while being established firmly like the " drink of Pérou" ( Bebida del Perú ).

Evolution

Pepsi and Coca-Cola

As of its beginnings, INCA Kola slowly eroded the market share held by Pepsi and Coca-Cola by an aggressive marketing and low prices. Its claim as single national drink largely helped it to conquer the customers converted with him for reasons of taste, price or nationalists.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi then carried out jointly a muscular strategy marketing in order to évincer INCA Kola of its most popular drink place. INCA Kola began to him a campaign from marketing which offered money and an advertizing help to small and average restaurants. Moreover, the mark centered its advertizing efforts on campaigns persuading the consumers that INCA Kola was a better food complement than Coca-Cola or Pepsi.

The fall of Pepsi

In the years 1980, the countryside " Pepsi Challenge " ( El Reto Pepsi ) helped it to destroy the Pepsi mark literally in Peru, because of the fact that the consumers do not like that it is said to them that they are wrong. In fact, the countryside was rather simple: centers of tasting were installed with Lima and its neighborhoods where people could take part free in a Blind test between Pepsi and Coca-Cola. One presented to the participants two covered bottles and two glasses, each bottle was open and versed in its respective glass. The tester was then to taste the two drinks and to declare which was his favorite, but without him to have to ask beforehand which its was preferred and that he drank regularly.

The countryside was a disaster, not less than three consequences resulted from it, all with the detriment of Pepsi:

the people were furious that it is said to them that they had " faux" in their choice, gave up Pepsi, preferring either Coca-Cola or INCA Kola to him;
Those which preferred Coca-Cola with Pepsi either changed or remained with Coca-Cola;
Those whose choice was ambivalent between the two, changed in favor of INCA Kola.

A " fait" who was repeated many times at Lima, however the single source is an interview televised with an employee of an office of local survey, is that more 80 % which made the test chose Coca-Cola, that is due to the fact that Coca-Cola had for a long time changed its formula for Peru (one of the three countries having this privilege), adding more sugar to the mixture in order to adapt it to the local taste. After this countryside, the market shares of Pepsi fell with 3 %, and remained also weak until Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and other subsidiary companies of Pepsi was established in Peru, selling only of Pepsi in their signs. A such revealing anecdote, there are many Peruvians who simply do not attend these establishments for the fact that they are not used as INCA Kola.

Coca-Cola: competition and repurchase

Consequence of the rout of Pepsi, the two rivals only found themselves in the battle of soft drinks in Peru, Coca-Cola, with 21 % of the market shares, and INCA Cola cutting the lions share with 35 %. Coca-Cola aggressively promoted its drinks in all the places, of the smallest graver until the broadest sports event of Peru. Trying to be defined as a drink accompanying the meals, a massive advertizing festival attaching Coca-Cola to all the menus possible began, going as far as possible to be promoted by the other marks, the restaurants and placing " Coca-Cola Girls" in all the corners of Lima.

That reached ridiculous proportions when the salesmen of the tiny stores are reflected to carry red and white combinations exhorting the customers to be bought of Coca-Cola. In 1995, Coca-Cola was close reaching INCA Kola when they were with the neck and neck with respectively 32 % and 32,9 % of the market shares. This year, however, proved to be the last, indeed, two major events which took place, one widens the ditch forever.

Initially, Bembos, a national chain of fast-food industry which exceeded possibly McDonald's and which expelled practically Burger King of Peru, served then as the INCA Kola with the place of Coca-Cola, after not having been able to find an arrangement. The restaurant offered better service and a savor more in agreement with the national tastes. Later, when the two companies gathered, Bembos started to sell at the same time of Coca-Cola and the INCA Kola.

Then, because of the success of Bembos and the market research, McDonald's obliged Coca-Cola to accept the sale of INCA Kola in its restaurants (at that time, it was the single place in the world where Coca-Cola accepted such an arrangement). It was the last time that INCA Kola was involved in the fraternal connections of the eternal partners McDonald's and Coca-Cola.

In 1997, the Lindley family sought a partner. Coca-Cola then started to negotiate with the Lindley company, for its repurchase. An agreement was established in 1999, Coca-Cola bought 50 % of the company INCA Cola and 30% of the company Jose R. Lindley for 300 million dollars, and yielded all its rights of congestion for the Coca-Cola products to Peru to the Lindley company; an agreement of joint-venture was signed for the overseas markets, where Coca-Cola was to use its capacity marketing for launching INCA Kola. Today, the Ecuador and the the United States (New York) are two of the countries where INCA Kola is bottled by the Coca-Cola company.

Resale market

While the two giants negotiated, of many small companies started to emerge in Peru, selling drinks which competed with at the same time Coca-Cola (Peru Cola, Cola Nacional, Inti Cola, Kola Real, etc) and INCA Kola (Don Isaac Kola, Triple Cola, Concordia, etc). This competition were done especially on the prices, since, thanks to new technologies, they held all the formulas which returned the originals almost indistinguishable. They are reflected to nibble market shares in the sector of the weak incomes of the country with their local publicities intended for these families.

The principal point of their attack was the fact that INCA Kola was not any more one Peruvian company, having been sold at a foreign company, and thus did not deserve their money. But the mark INCA Kola was so strong that no publicity could succeed in shaking it.

Market shares in Peru

INCA Cola: 31 %
Coca-Cola: 26 %
Real Cola: 17 %
Pepsi: 8 %
Sprite: 4 %
Others: 14 %

Currently, INCA Kola is thus the leader of the market, Coca-Cola is second, and surprising it Añaños Group and their Real Cola point in the third place.

Anecdotes

INCA Kola was established in the restaurants sino-Peruvians, named " popularly; Chifas ". Many people employ indeed the two words one for the other. Like such, the majority of the Chifas of Lima serve only INCA Kola like soft drink.

INCA Kola claims to hold the record of the greatest number of varieties of bottles of soda of the world. During last counting, there were 7 sizes of bottles out of glass, 12 sizes of plastic bottles, 2 sizes of quills and 3 sizes of distributers.

When Douglas Ivester, president of the Coca-Cola multinational in 1999, came to Lima at the time of the repurchase, it would then have said “Ca resembles piss, that has the taste of the chewing-gum. ” after its first mouthful of INCA Cola.

Presque a third of the consumers of INCA Kola prefers the something hot drink (with room temperature) (" sin helar") rather than cooled.

Peru is one of the only countries of the world where, although Coca-Cola is massively sold, this one is not leader of the market of sodas. Another country is the Scotland, where Irn-Daughter-in-law and Coca-Cola shares the first place.

External bond

Official site

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