Sebastianus Hendro Kistanto, an IT technician in the Indonesian city of Semarang, always drank Coca-Cola, even after he stopped working for the US soft-drinks company’s operation in the country.
That was until he picked up his first bottle of Big Cola last year, attracted by the low price – just Rp3,000 (25 cents) for a 535ml serving. “Coke has the best taste but Big Cola costs much less,” he says, adding that he drinks about four bottles a week.
Like many of the growing number of Big Cola drinkers in Asia, Mr Kistanto wrongly believed it came from the UK, an easy mistake as the logo of the English Football Association looms larger on the bottle than the brand name. In fact, Big Cola is from Peru, and the FA logo is there as part of an ambitious marketing push.