Tianfu Cola set for China relaunch
Print Edition
THE Chinese cola brand Tianfu, once the country’s top selling soft drink, will return to the market after being absent from shelves for nearly two decades, the producer said yesterday.
Tianfu Cola will be relaunched around the Spring Festival, which falls on February 8, said Qian Huang, general manager of the company.
Qian said Tianfu would still use its natural traditional Chinese medicine herbal recipe to produce the drink.
Back in 1980s and 1990s, the Chongqing-based company was the largest soft drink maker in China with a strong hold of 70 percent of the soft drink market. Tianfu Cola was sold beyond China and started to gain market recognition in Russia and America.
In 1994, the company set up a joint venture with American cola producer Pepsi, which was not successful. By 2005, Tianfu Cola’s market share had plummeted to 1 percent.
Qian blamed the failure to the decision to cut the production of Tianfu Cola to make way for the production of Pepsi-Cola.
In 2006, the company sold its stake in the joint venture to Pepsi. However, Pepsi refused to give back Tianfu’s production right.
In 2010, Tianfu took Pepsi to court accusing the US firm of stealing the secret recipe for its beverage. The court ordered Pepsi to return the formula and technical secrets, but rejected Tianfu’s request for 1 million yuan (US$151,700) compensation.
Qian said 2016 would witness a “reincarnation” of Tianfu. The company plans to debut some new soft drinks including fruit juice and a protein beverage.
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