Coca Colla

Coca Colla is an energy drink which is produced in Bolivia with the use of coca extract as its base. It was launched on the Bolivian market in La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba in mid-April 2010.^[1][2] Not only are the name and ingredients similar to Coca-Cola, but the colors and logo are of a similar nature. The release of this product is part of the process of the industrialization of coca followed by the Morales Administration.^[3] The "Colla" component of the name comes from Collasuyo, the southern area of the Inca empire which included the western part of Bolivia. The term Colla is nowadays used to name the Aymara and Quechua, indigenous people of Bolivia which make a traditional use of coca leaves.^[4]

Description

The drink has a red label with white writing, is dark caramel in color, tastes sweet and comes in 500 ml bottles priced at $1.50 (around £1 GBP or €1 EUR). It is made from coca leaf extracts, a plant also known for its use as the base of cocaine powder. This is a restricted substance in many countries and illegal to sell, buy or distribute in North America and Europe.

Use and export

Evo Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous Aymara Indian president, announced last year he will make efforts to support the peoples of the Andes Mountains who have been using Coca leaves for traditional use such as medication and rituals for thousands of years. 30,000 acres (120 km²) of the Andes Mountain region is set aside for coca bush growth annually. This area is set to increase to 80,000 acres (320 km²) with the increase of the government's drive for legitimate use for the Coca plant, such as toothpaste, pharmaceuticals and coca tea.

The International Narcotics Control Board of the United Nations has had the coca leaf on the list of dangerous drugs since 1961. Exporting the drink worldwide will not be possible unless drug laws are changed, including local Bolivian law which prevents exporting any coca based product from the country. However, importers from Iran, Bolivia's economic and political ally, have already expressed an interest in over 2 million units of the drink when large scale production starts.

Advertising

A joint collaboration between the Bolivian based drink's manufacturer and the European based advertising guerrilla group has been launched to increase the global mass media awareness of the new Coca Colla drink. The launch has sparked world wide interest about the questionable nature of the product's ingredients.

Commercial use of coca

Coca-Cola famously used Coca extracts in its original recipe, but the alkaloid cocaine was removed in 1903. However, coca leaf extracts are still used today as a flavouring and up to 7.26 metric tonnes (or 8 tons)^[5] of coca leaf are imported into the USA for Coca-Cola production annually.^[6]

Red Bull cola contains coca leaf extracts in its energy drink. However, there are three main alkaloids^[which?] in the coca leaf and the extract used is de-cocainized.

Vin Mariani wine was a coca based drink. In 1863 Angelo Mariani treated Bordeaux wine with coca leaves, selling the drink as à la Coca du Pérou. Vin Mariani fans included Pope Leo XIII who awarded the drink a Vatican Gold Medal.

References

1. ^ "Evo Morales launches 'Coca Colla'". London: Telegraph. 10 Jan 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/bolivia/6962746/Evo-Morales-launches-Coca-Colla.html. Retrieved 22 January 2010. 
2. ^ "Bolivia banks on 'Coca Colla,' fizzy coca-leaf drink". AFP. 10 Jan 2010. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jFUaMjoArM16Nqy4rY--1-Z2lPpg. Retrieved 22 January 2010. 
3. ^ "Morales launches ‘Coca Colla’ drink" (in English). Buenos Aires Herald. http://www.buenosairesherald.com/BreakingNews/View/21270. Retrieved 22 January 2010. 
4. ^ "Bolivia lanza la Coca Colla". La Nacion. 24/04/2010. http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=1254929. Retrieved 24 april 2010. 
5. ^ "Coca Colla hopes to create a buzz". BBC News. 21 April 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8634440.stm. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
6. ^ May, Clifford D. (1 July 1988). "How Coca-Cola Obtains Its Coca". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/01/business/how-coca-cola-obtains-its-coca.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010.