WI: Coca-Cola is invented in Russia in the 1920s?

Source

Frivolous? Yes. Funny? Also yes.

Assuming the recipe survives the chaos of the 20s and 30s (perhaps Stalin is a fan?), what effect does the drinks existence have on the world?

Also, Pepsi-Cola is still an American product. I felt like I should mention that.

Drunkrobot said:

Also, Pepsi-Cola is still an American product. I felt like I should mention that.

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Maybe there will be some propaganda boost by pepsi. perhaps some sort of "pepsi: the drink of the free world" I mean, it somewhat happened to coca-cola IOTL, right?

pandu saksono said:

Maybe there will be some propaganda boost by pepsi. perhaps some sort of "pepsi: the drink of the free world" I mean, it somewhat happened to coca-cola IOTL, right?

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I expected as much.

"Oh, God! What has our son become?!"
"Dad, I just don't like the taste of Pepsi."
"What will it be next, 'Comrade'? Cuban cigars? Chinese Red books? They put Fluorine into that crap, you know!"

Coca Cola was already in existance back then so Soviets can't really invent it. However there were several attempts to imitate Coca Cola outside US, but that was due to it being already popular and these countries trying to go non-US route, e.g. Fanta and Cockta.

So if you are asking if US company invents Pepsi Cola, which is OTL Coca Cola and Soviets invent something similar that's called Coca Cola (say they develop what is OTL Pepsi) that is sold under different name that's possible but it's only name change, not actual drink. Pepsi would have position OTL Coca has and coca would be seen as Soviet imitation. It's possible that it becomes popular during Cold war in eastern bloc as an alternative.

Would they, without 'Prohibition', leave the Coca in the recipe?

aktarian said:

Coca Cola was already in existance back then so Soviets can't really invent it. However there were several attempts to imitate Coca Cola outside US, but that was due to it being already popular and these countries trying to go non-US route, e.g. Fanta and Cockta.

So if you are asking if US company invents Pepsi Cola, which is OTL Coca Cola and Soviets invent OTL Coca Cola that is sold under different name that's possible but it's only name change, not actual drink. Pepsi would have position OTL Coca has and coca would be seen as Soviet imitation. It's possible that it becomes popular during Cold war in eastern bloc as an alternative.

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The implication is that Coca-Cola is not invented in any form in the US, there is no American Coke of any kind, the closest being Pepsi.

Simreeve said:

Would they, without 'Prohibition', leave the Coca in the recipe?

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The recipe is the modern recipe.

Drunkrobot said:

The implication is that Coca-Cola is not invented in any form in the US, there is no American Coke of any kind, the closest being Pepsi.

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Ah, OK. So instead of OTL Coca Cola there exists something that's similar in taste and carbonated but is more like OTL Pepsi than Coca? And is called something else, let's say Pepsi because it's simple. ATL Soviet Coca Cola (called something else but let's call it this for ease of argment) is same as OTL Coca in taste.

In that case Pepsi just takes role Coca had OTL. They are not that different so that wouldn't be hard. Coca Cola is seen as Pepsi rip-off and communist attempt to copy US product, admitting it's that good even Soviets want it. But how popular it would be? As I've said, others tried to provide alternative to OTL Coca but that was because it was already popular, people wanted it but governments didn't want their people to drink decadent western drinks. If ATL Pepsi doesn't penetrate into soviet market prior to 1920s then there really is no need for ATL Coca to be developed because there is no need to counter such penetration.

And somebody saying "Hey, I've seen this drink in US and I think if we copy it, relabel it and sell it it will be a success" is't soemthing that is likely in Soviet economic system.

aktarian said:

~snip~

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Who said it has to be made in response to Pepsi? It could just be a guy making a soft drink to sell to the populace (IIRC, the Soviet economy was structured differently before Stalin got into power, one trying to keep small private businesses in existence). The government, seeing a potential form of 'Bread and Circuses' and cultural export, backs the formula.

There is also a significant amount of people in the world that view Coke as being superior to Pepsi (and vice-versa). Something isn't a ripoff if it's as good or better than the original.

Drunkrobot said:

Frivolous? Yes. Funny? Also yes.

Assuming the recipe survives the chaos of the 20s and 30s (perhaps Stalin is a fan?), what effect does the drinks existence have on the world?

Also, Pepsi-Cola is still an American product. I felt like I should mention that.

Click to expand...

I am trying to work out if sales of 'Comrade Cola' would have been able to sustain the Soviet Union against the loss of oil revenues in the 1980s...

I fear I am over thinking this

Drunkrobot said:

Who said it has to be made in response to Pepsi? It could just be a guy making a soft drink to sell to the populace (IIRC, the Soviet economy was structured differently before Stalin got into power, one trying to keep small private businesses in existence). The government, seeing a potential form of 'Bread and Circuses' and cultural export, backs the formula.

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I don't think you could have Soviet Cola without its creator seeing US Cola and taking that idea. you say that something similar to OLT Coca already exists in US by 1920s so I don't think it's possible to have independant development of Soviet Cola which would be similar to US equivalent as Pepsi and Coca are OTL.

So you can have Pepsi and Coca equivalents in which case later one is either a rip off or at least heavily inspired by earlier one. Or you have Coca/Fanta equivalent whre drinks are very different despite having some common ground.

Drunkrobot said:

There is also a significant amount of people in the world that view Coke as being superior to Pepsi (and vice-versa). Something isn't a ripoff if it's as good or better than the original.

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It's a matter of taste and association. OTL Coca was associated with US lifestyle and such and as such was popular. It wasn't something that was inherent to Coca Cola itself, anything similar to it could easily fill that role.

Soviet imports of cane sugar would be increased if there is no reduction in other forms of cane sugar production.

Or the Soviets rely mostly on corn syrup or beet sugar as sweeteners.

One of my high school teachers traveled to the Soviet Union in the late 80s, and here's how he described a soda fountain in the train stations - they provided a lemon-lime type soda that dispensed into a metal cup chained to the machine. So rather more communal (and less profligate in terms of paper or styrofoam) than American soda vending machines or fountains.

raharris1973 said:

Soviet imports of cane sugar would be increased if there is no reduction in other forms of cane sugar production.

Or the Soviets rely mostly on corn syrup or beet sugar as sweeteners.

One of my high school teachers traveled to the Soviet Union in the late 80s, and here's how he described a soda fountain in the train stations - they provided a lemon-lime type soda that dispensed into a metal cup chained to the machine. So rather more communal (and less profligate in terms of paper or styrofoam) than American soda vending machines or fountains.

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given a lot of european produced fizzy pop is sweetened with beet sugar or a mixture of beet and cane depending what meets the cost / delivery time needs of the the bottler ....

RodentRevolution said:

I am trying to work out if sales of 'Comrade Cola' would have been able to sustain the Soviet Union against the loss of oil revenues in the 1980s...

I fear I am over thinking this

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Coca-Cola's revenue last year was $47 billion (I can't be bothered to find the numbers for the 1980s). Kazakhstan's GDP in 1991 was $25 billion. While they couldn't convert to an entirely cola-based economy, $40 billion is going to go a long way to prop up the Soviet Union. Assuming sales remain roughly the same as in OTL I'd say that yes, it would have significantly reduced the impact of the loss of oil revenue.

"No blood for cola!"

Where do the Soviets get Kola nuts and Coca leaves?

Trade? It's not like the Soviets were totally cut off from the world.

This reminds me how Fanta was invented by Nazis as an ersatz good during WW2 after the Germans had gotten accustomed to Coca-Cola during the Berlin Olympics...