Spanish town believes Coca-Cola got secret syrup recipe from local distiller
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The town's mayor says "everything points" to the theory that Coca-Cola was derived from a similar local drink. (Reuters)
A distillery in a small Spanish town has claimed it invented the original Coca-Cola recipe and now wants recognition.
The recipe for what was originally called "Kola-coca" is reportedly kept in a safe at Destilerías Ayelo, in the village of of Aielo de Malferit, south of Valencia, so the owner Juan Juan Micó, 79, claims.
The drink Kola-coca is said to be a precursor to the now world famous brand, according to Micó and the village’s officials.
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Although there is no direct proof that Coca-Cola started life in Spain, the village’s authorities have written to the U.S. company asking permission to publicly explain the connection.
A snow-covered statue of Coca-Cola founder John Pemberton holding a glass of Coke is seen in Atlanta's Pemberton Plaza. (Reuters)
The people in the village of just 4,700 inhabitants believe the syrup that John Pemberton used in Coca-Cola was originally concocted by the local distillery.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Everything points to this being the case," the town’s mayor, José Luis Pinter, told the Spanish newspaper El País.
“Our aim is to get Coca-Cola to acknowledge the project so that the town will get recognition. We’re not seeking anything more than that.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The original Coca-Cola recipe contained coca leaves, kola nuts and soda water with the only difference with Kola-coca was that the Spanish drink was mixed with fresh rather than soda water.
While Coca-Cola became a worldwide popular drink, Kola-coca eventually went out of production.
People in the village believe that reps from Coca-Cola visited the distillery to buy up Kola-coca. The owners allegedly sold the brand for between $210 to $350.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to the story, the distillery was opened by three local entrepreneurs — Enrique Ortiz, Ricardo Sanz and Bautista Aparici — 138 years ago.
Aparici was the sales representative for the trio and travelled around marketing their products with a suitcase of samples, including the 'Kola-coca Superior Syrup'.
It's believed he went to Philadelphia in 1885 and that, a year later, Pemberton put Coca-Cola on the market in Atlanta.
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A Coca-cola spokesman told the paper: “The brand has taken off in such a way that it now belongs to the entire world.
“This has happened in other parts of the world and for us it’s a source of pride.”
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