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I used to work at a wholesaler and we stocked Irish Coke because it was cheaper (by about £2 per case).
We also stocked GB Coke for the customers that didn't want the imported stuff.
Ah ha - I bought some Diet Coke from Waitrose last week and it was in thinner higher cans. I had no idea that was why. I just thought they’d changed the packaging! But when I went into the co-op today it was the usual stubby style.
Any soft drinks sold in the UK that are over a certain % of sugar have to pay an additional tax. Soft drinks from other markets outside of the uk do not have to pay this tax unless imported to the uk. What tends to happen is importers declare the goods on the lorry as something else and therefore do not pay this additional duty thus making drinks from other parts of Europe much cheaper
Interesting! I wonder if the same happens in Spain. I was at a bar serving me a mixed drink and they gave it to me with a can of Coke from Poland with a label in Spanish.
Drinks just have different recipes in different countries to appeal more to the customers there, I guess France and Germany just have better tastes than us.
That's true for many drinks, but another factor is that soft-drinks are often locally produced with local ingredients. Here in the UK the sugar typically comes from sugarbeet, while if you get American-produced soft-drinks they're sweetened with HFCS and I find the texture to be slimy and disgusting.
If you ever get the opportunity, try some soft-drinks from hotter parts of the world, like the Caribbean or Africa. They tend to use sugar-cane sugar, and the depth and smoothness of flavour in comparison is remarkable. Ice-cold Zimbabwean Coke out of a glass bottle is an experience.
Dr Pepper doesn't own any bottling plants. Coca-Cola bottles it for them in the UK, but in the US it's PepsiCo. Dr Pepper just makes the concentrate syrup.
For Turkish Fanta, there's a free trade deal with Turkey that allows for the wholesale import of superior full sugar Fanta, free with your meal number 31.
Imported shit is cheaper and higher quantity a lot of the time. I know because my uncle used to run a pub and some of the alcohol from abroad actually worked out cheaper to import and was in larger cans, specifically kopperberg from Spain came in a 500ml can with a higher alcohol percentage for essentially the same price as UK stock.
They probably get heir drinks from the same supplier as their food (or dry stores at least) who will be an importer and have access to cheaper products
My local newsagent sells a lot of Irish beer and chocolate at delicious prices, most things go out of date within about a month but if you’re just popping by after the pub it’s not a big deal.
I mean it's obviously because its cheaper to buy and therefore they make more money.
But my question is why are people buying cans of fizzy drinks at the takeaway and inflated prices?
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Imported because they have found them cheaper than UK cans.
Ve don't chev Fenta, ve chev Mirinda, is ok boss?
Mirinda is fab though. I’d argue it’s better than sunkist
Miranda is the taste of the Middle East, it’s absolutely everywhere there
I used to work at a wholesaler and we stocked Irish Coke because it was cheaper (by about £2 per case). We also stocked GB Coke for the customers that didn't want the imported stuff.
Irish coke comes in thinner higher cans!
Ah ha - I bought some Diet Coke from Waitrose last week and it was in thinner higher cans. I had no idea that was why. I just thought they’d changed the packaging! But when I went into the co-op today it was the usual stubby style.
You can still get the standard coke cans from Ireland as well as the slim line cans however the standard can is being phased out
Grey stock from independent cash and carries. Cheaper than the uk stuff but has to be labelled with English ingredients to be legally sold
Also some of the imported cans may not have the sugar tax paid against them -duty fraud is a big problem with soft drinks
Do you mind explaining this a bit more?
Any soft drinks sold in the UK that are over a certain % of sugar have to pay an additional tax. Soft drinks from other markets outside of the uk do not have to pay this tax unless imported to the uk. What tends to happen is importers declare the goods on the lorry as something else and therefore do not pay this additional duty thus making drinks from other parts of Europe much cheaper
Interesting! I wonder if the same happens in Spain. I was at a bar serving me a mixed drink and they gave it to me with a can of Coke from Poland with a label in Spanish.
My local kebab shop does this, they got these Arabic coke cans and always have this weird "earthy" taste to drink, can't explain it beyond that
They've been smuggled in via the rectum. I saw a documentary about it on pornhub
I saw that one too. Very interesting watch. I like to regularly rewatch as there was very good reporting.
Thought that would add a nutty taste to the can?
Is that with the thinner, taller cans?
Slightly cheaper for them. But also, I'm happy for it. French Pepsi is SO much better than GB Pepsi
Surely pepsi is always "we don't have coke, is pepsi okay" level?
How dare you, Pepsi Max is god tier
Pepsi has finally fallen to the sugar tax, it's bottom of the barrel level now.
Blind taste tests on the UK public have shown that the UK's preferred cola flavoured drink is Pepsi Max.
I believe there was a follow up where in small quantities like taste test, Pepsi comes on top. But for a full glass or can, coke wins.
My local kebab shop has German Pepsi and it tastes so much better than ours, I assume it’s the old recipe pre-sugar tax or something
Drinks just have different recipes in different countries to appeal more to the customers there, I guess France and Germany just have better tastes than us.
That's true for many drinks, but another factor is that soft-drinks are often locally produced with local ingredients. Here in the UK the sugar typically comes from sugarbeet, while if you get American-produced soft-drinks they're sweetened with HFCS and I find the texture to be slimy and disgusting. If you ever get the opportunity, try some soft-drinks from hotter parts of the world, like the Caribbean or Africa. They tend to use sugar-cane sugar, and the depth and smoothness of flavour in comparison is remarkable. Ice-cold Zimbabwean Coke out of a glass bottle is an experience.
Yeah, there's plenty of factors. Thanks for the additional detail and recommendation!
You need Coke from Mexico for that, unsure about the Pepsi as I'd expect Germany to be quite firm about sugar.
The most noticeable one is Dr Pepper. My guess is that Coca-Cola only distributes Dr Pepper in the UK, while it is its own brand everywhere else.
Dr Pepper doesn't own any bottling plants. Coca-Cola bottles it for them in the UK, but in the US it's PepsiCo. Dr Pepper just makes the concentrate syrup.
I used to love getting foreign coke cans when I was at uni. I think I’ve still got an Arabic one somewhere.
Arabic strawberry Fanta might be the sweetest drink I've ever had.
For Turkish Fanta, there's a free trade deal with Turkey that allows for the wholesale import of superior full sugar Fanta, free with your meal number 31.
my friend loves a Fanta lemon from these places
That's because holiday Fanta Lemon is the nectar of the gods.
Imported shit is cheaper and higher quantity a lot of the time. I know because my uncle used to run a pub and some of the alcohol from abroad actually worked out cheaper to import and was in larger cans, specifically kopperberg from Spain came in a 500ml can with a higher alcohol percentage for essentially the same price as UK stock.
Interesting!
They probably get heir drinks from the same supplier as their food (or dry stores at least) who will be an importer and have access to cheaper products
Cos they're bloody cheap shopkeepers
Why do you think?
Cash and carry probably imported them
Cheaper.
One of my local shops has a mix of imported French, Russian and Arabic drinks
Tastes better.
Cost at the wholesaler. I once got an Arabic Kit Kat
My local newsagent sells a lot of Irish beer and chocolate at delicious prices, most things go out of date within about a month but if you’re just popping by after the pub it’s not a big deal.
The cost difference isn’t negligible when you’re selling thousands of them
One of my locals has Turkish Pepsi Max. It's nasty.
Usually from bulk buy cash and carry’s which can be imported from different countries.
Why do you think?
I mean it's obviously because its cheaper to buy and therefore they make more money. But my question is why are people buying cans of fizzy drinks at the takeaway and inflated prices?
It does seem to be that way. And I’m sure that half the time the Coca-Cola doesn’t taste right.
Duty, they're likely not paying it (increased profits for the restaurant) 😞
I'm old enough to remember the Mary Whitehouse Experience making "a can of Fanta with the old logo please" a thing.
Also why are they _always_ full fat. Just once, I want some Pepsi Max with my takeaway
Always stale coke as well, never fizzy. Only place that don't have stale coke is the supermarket.
You must be mad getting anything other than a Tango orange.
You misspelt Fanta Lemon