Effective immediately, Coca-Cola products will no longer be sold on trains operated by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). The public transport provider will instead be stocking an iconic local brand.
From June 12 onwards, those travelling on the 120 SBB trains with on-board bistros will not find Coca-Cola on the shelves. SBB confirmed in a statement given to Blick that it would be removing the US drinks giant’s products from its trains with immediate effect.
SBB spokesperson Carmen Hefti assured that the decision to ditch Coca-Cola had nothing to do with US tariffs or the actions of the current American administration. The American company has so far refused to comment on SBB’s announcement.
So, what can passengers do to get their cola fix on SBB? The company confirmed that instead of Coca-Cola, it would be stocking the local Swiss brand Vivi Kola. Having been first launched in Eglisau, Canton Zurich in 1938, the local cola brand was revived in 2010, and is now sold throughout the Alpine nation. To this day, it is only made in Switzerland.
Hefti said the decision to swap Coca-Cola with Vivi Kola was to “set an example for Swissness". She added that they were “convinced of the quality of the product” and assured that the new Vivi Kola will cost the same as the US version did.
For their part, Vivi Kola manufacturer Vicollective said in a statement that the decision is a “milestone in the company’s 15-year history”. According to Elvetino, a drinks manufacturer from Zurich, SBB serves 14.000 customers a day in its train restaurants, providing an economic boon for any product on offer.
SBB’s decision comes just a week after it was revealed that high prices for Swiss-made Coca-Cola were forcing many supermarkets and retailers to either buy the drinks overseas or replace them with alternatives. However, while this may be a temporary phenomenon on the shelves of stores, SBB indicated its decision to switch to Vivi was permanent.
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