RBK Media Group (Russia) on October 26 quoted a report from NielsenIQ saying that Russian beverage brand Dobry surpassed Coca Cola in sales in Russia during the January-August period.

According to the report, Dobry ranked second among the country’s 50 most popular fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands. Based on the results for the first eight months of the year, the brand’s market share in the FCMG industry was 1.2%.

Coca Cola is not in the top 50 in Russia. The company announced plans to stop production in Russia from March 2022. They used to have 10 factories in Russia, producing soft drinks such as Coca Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes and many other domestic brands. Although Coca Cola withdrew from Russia, its products are still sold there through imports.

Dobry Cola is produced at Coca Cola HBC plants - the bottling plant for Coca Cola in Russia. Last August, Coca Cola HBC announced that it would start producing Dobry Cola, after ceasing production and sales of Coca Cola products. Dobry is a fruit juice brand in Russia.

After Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022, a number of Western businesses withdrew from the country. This opened up opportunities for local businesses. In May 2022, the fast food chain McDonald's sold its Russian business to businessman Alexander Govor. The chain was later renamed Vkusno & tochka and began operating in June last year.

Many Russian companies also started producing cola drinks as soon as Coca Cola announced its departure. Dobry Cola was just one of them. Starbucks' absence was also replaced by a Russian rapper's coffee chain Stars Coffee.

A total of more than 7,300 new brands entered the Russian market in the first eight months of the year, compared to more than 6,900 in the same period last year, according to NielsenIQ.

Ha Thu (according to RT, Reuters)