Most Popular Soft Drink Brands in the Dominican Republic

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Soft drinks have always been in great demand, especially in tropical countries like the Dominican Republic. For this reason, it is no coincidence that national soft drink companies have developed, as well as franchises of the most famous brands in the world, such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, among others.

The evolution of soft drink manufacturers is combined with the inclusion of bottled water brands, both natural and carbonated, as well as flavored brands. Energy drinks are also added, which are widely used by athletes and people with strenuous physical activity.

For many years, the main competition in the country was between Refrescos Nacionales, the local representative of The Coca-Cola Company, and Embotelladora Dominicana, which represented the Pepsi brand.

This competition was not only at the level of distribution in grocery stores, but from the ’90s onwards, it was intensified through agreements with fast-food franchises, to place their brands of soft drinks as exclusive in the food “combos” for the customers of these establishments, as well as in movie theaters.

But as in all production areas, globalization became present from the middle of the last decade, when these companies were acquired by large international companies. The Brazilian brewery Ambev acquired Embotelladora Dominicana in 2004, while in 2006 the Mexican Bepensa bought Refrescos Nacionales.

Basically, the most popular soft drinks in the Dominican Republic fit into one of these two categories of these two big companies, for the purpose of understanding let’s say that we can divide the two big brands into:

Coca Cola (BEPENSA)
Pepsi Co. (AMVEB Dominicana)

 

What are the most consumed soft drinks in the Dominican Republic?

Statistically, Coca-Cola is undoubtedly the leader in the Dominican Republic market, this soft drink has many variants in the Dominican market, there is Coca-Cola Zero, Coca-Cola original, Coca-Cola canned, bottled, etc.

The other soft drinks that belong to the same group of the Coca Cola brand are:

  • Coca Cola
  • Country Club (Grape, Raspberry, Orange, Meringue)
  • Fanta (Grape, Orange)
  • Sprite (Lemon)
  • Canada Dry (soda and tonic)

Popular soft drinks by Pepsi (AMVEB) are:

  • Pepsi Cola
  • Red Rock (Grape, Raspberry, Orange, Meringue)
  • 7UP (Lemon)
  • Atlanta Club Soda (soda and tonic)
  • Mirinda (Orange)

 

There is also another company in the Dominican Republic that has been operating for many years and also has a large share of the popular soft drink market, their soft drinks are Kola Real, and they also have a variety of flavors.

The Kola Real soft drink, belonging to a Peruvian company called Industria San Miguel (ISM), although its flavor is unique compared to the other brands, this soft drink has caught on in the popular taste for being slightly cheaper than the other brands.

What is the main difference between soft drinks in the Dominican Republic?

In terms of size, soft drinks share similarities, 400 ml is the personal size bottle, there are also a half liter, one liter, and 1.5-liter bottles as family size.

The price, there is a minimal difference, the soft drinks that belong to the Coca-Cola brand are slightly more expensive than the others, but the difference is not so noticeable in reality.

The most notable difference is in the flavor, and this is what I want to emphasize, the Coca-Cola brand soft drinks have a much more intense flavor than the others, although this does not mean that they are better.

I remember, when I was younger I always preferred to drink Coca Cola and its brands, I always liked its intense flavor, then as I got older I chose to drink Pepsi and Red Rock, its flavor is a little lighter, but the main reason is that I began to read the amount of sugar contained in soft drinks.

The soft drinks of the brand represented by Pepsi, although they have a lighter taste, it is pleasant, and they have only 16 grams of sugar in its composition, that is the main reason why I prefer them over the brand represented by Coca Cola, which contains much more sugar in its composition.

For the tastes the colors, although, in the Dominican Republic there is a notorious preference for Coca Cola soft drinks.

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