The Journey of Coca‑Cola® Bangladesh
30-06-2022
A soft drink can complement the whole conversation or an invitation, whether it is an invitation from a friend or family or in a gossip with close ones or even loved ones. And when we think about a soft drink, Coca‑Cola is the first thing that pops into our mind regardless of the other renowned soft drink brands available in the market.
Of course, Coca‑Cola is now considered as one of the oldest carbonated drinks producers and sellers globally, thanks to its taste and marketing to a global audience. To reach the audience worldwide, Bangladesh is no exception.
Now the question may arise: how did they do it? So let’s take a journey where Coca‑Cola emerged from an unknown brand to the most preferred one in Bangladesh.
Launch of Coca‑Cola in Bangladesh
Coca‑Cola entered Bangladesh through Tabani Beverage (TBCL) in Dhaka and K. Rahman in Chittagong in 1962. It is worth mentioning that Coca‑Cola started its journey in Bangladesh when the country’s people were embracing diversified tastes, which led to a common habit of preferring soft drinks. In addition, Coca‑Cola Bangladesh had the calculation of becoming the most preferred brand among the people. Although the beginning was quite challenging as there was less awareness, impression, and inadequate marketing medium, it indeed gained momentum later.
On Path of Brand Establishment
Abdul Monem Ltd. (AML) beverage unit has been the franchisee bottler since 1982 and continued the process of Coca‑Cola. The company established its full-fledged bottling plant in 1987 at Cumilla. Since then, they have been responsible for the bottling, packaging, selling, and distribution for major markets of Coca‑Cola Bangladesh. While the age of this brand crossed 20 years, several local beverages were also introduced into the market. It is presumed that Akij Food and Beverages Limited launched its carbonated drinks in the market.
Meanwhile, PepsiCo had also been operating in the country at the time of Coca‑Cola. Hence, the market was gaining competition as per the expectation. In a research, it was found that Coca‑Cola remained in the top tier while the top-level followed the domestic brands. Currently, Tapas Kumar Mondal is the Managing Director of the International Beverages Private Limited, and ASM Mohiuddin Monem is the Deputy Managing Director of Abdul Monem Limited.
Becoming a Market Leader
During its market establishment, TCCC (an acronym for The Coca‑Cola Company) was an undisputed market leader in Bangladesh, with 70% of the market share, becoming an unbeatable soft drinks brand in the market in 1990.
Market Supremacy
Later, International Beverages Private Limited (IBPL) started its journey as a part of the Bottling Investment Group of TCCC in Bangladesh in 2010, which showcases the constant success of the soft drinks brand. At that time, despite the existence of domestic brand beverages, people became addicted to Coca‑Cola and preferred this drink. Hence, this gave them a supremacy brand.