Mecca-Cola

Mecca-Cola is the main product of Mecca Cola World Company, launched on the market as an alternative to beverages from the United States, such as Coca-Cola or Pepsi. -Line.

Brand name

Apparently, the name of the product refers to Mecca, the main holy city of Islam, in the transliteration into the Latin alphabet of its Arabic name, مكة المكرمة (Makkah al-Mukarramah).

The name Mecca-Cola angered some Muslim ulama who went so far as to promulgate fatwas condemning because Mecca, the holy city of Islam, was associated with a soft drink with bubbles. Mathlouthi maintains a manifest ambiguity about the real origin of the name. To defend himself he argued that “In Mecca there are hotels called Mecca Hilton or Mecca Sofitel and there are stores called Mecca Shoes. Why then be outraged that there is a Mecca-Cola? I don't understand it.

Ideological background

It was launched on November 5, 2002 by the French businessman of Tunisian origin Tawfik Mathlouthi, founder of the Plural France Party and owner of a local radio station (Radio Méditerranée). Mathlouthi is the son of a sheikh who was an imam of a mosque and a professor at the University of Tunis.

Tawfik Mathlouthi said: “Consuming our product is an act of protest against North American imperialism. "Anyone who buys a bottle of Mecca-Cola is carrying out an act of protest against American policy and against the crimes of Zionism." The creator was inspired by a similar Iranian product, Zam Zam Cola, which had already been successful in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and had decided to launch his own brand because no agreement had been reached on the conditions for a distribution contract. with Zamzam. Mecca-Cola, in turn, inspired the creation of Qibla Cola in the United Kingdom.

Company policy

Mecca-Cola has used the slogans For another world to be possible, another consumption is necessary, Don't drink foolishly, drink committed and Don't get agitated, stir your conscience. According to its website, the company's official policy aims to support "associations that work for peace in the world and especially for the solution of the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis" #3. 4;.

The company announced its intention to transfer 10% of its profit to humanitarian associations working, in particular, in the Palestinian Territories occupied by Israel, and up to 10% to charitable organizations in the countries in which the company is sold. drink. In this sense, the company explicitly mentions Doctors Without Borders. However, said organization published a statement on November 14, 2002, denying having signed any agreement with the Mecca-Cola foundation.

On the other hand, the businessman Tawfik Mathlouthi was convicted in 2004 by the Paris Criminal Court for not registering his workers with Social Security and for "abusive use of the name foundation". Likewise, he has been sentenced to close the company's subsidiary in Morocco for "opacity of accounts".

Distribution

Mecca-Cola sells 2 million bottles monthly and is distributed in 60 countries. It is sold in large quantities in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and, to a lesser extent, in America and Oceania. Although the product was created in France, the company is currently based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates since October 2003. Despite everything, in countries like France it does not reach the shelves of hypermarkets and large distribution centers.

The soft drink in Spain was distributed through an NGO sympathetic to socialist Cuba called "Haydé Santamaría" (name of the Cuban revolutionary who directed the Casa de las Américas), although she finally stopped doing so after her popularity declined after 11M.

Other products

In addition to the different presentations of its cola, the company also sells a range of non-alcoholic fruit drinks under the name Mecca Cola. The company was the sponsor, and its flagship product was the official drink of the October 2003 summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, held in Malaysia. The businessman plans to extend the business to fast food, with new establishments such as “Mecca Burger” (Mecca Burgers) and “Halal Fried Chicken ” (Halal fried chicken).