For the longest time, Singaporeans have come to associate Coca-Cola with McDonald’s and Pepsi with KFC and Pizza Hut.
Truth to be told, both carbonated beverages almost taste the same: it’s fizzy, is overloaded with sugar, and fun things happen when you drop mentos into it.
It’s unclear what happened, but KFC and Pizza Hut, which are both under the same parent company of Yum! Brands, have gone through a shocking break-up.
Instead of the standard Pepsi, the menus for both brand websites are now featuring Coca-Cola instead.
When KFC was asked about the change, they confirmed that they have added Coca-Cola to the menu.
“In partnership with Coca-Cola, KFC Singapore has refreshed its beverage options with offerings from Coca-Cola to go along with the variety of KFC chicken menus from 20 July 2022.”
Don’t really see how that “refreshes” the beverage options, but whatever floats your boat.
For Pepsi lovers, you don’t have to worry much, because Pepsi is still in the beverage menu.
Meadows and The New Cola
For decades, it has always been a clashing battle between Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Both sides guard their recipes zealously and the competition has never let up.
It goes to the point where there’s a protocol which disallows people who know the exact formula of the beverage from sitting on the same plane, because what if there’s an aviation accident?
Given how popular the drinks are, other beverage brands—if they haven’t already been acquired—don’t even bother to make similar drinks because it’s a lost cause. The brand loyalty for Pepsi and Coca-Cola are unrivalled.
Lovers of diet coke are their species altogether.
But Meadows, a Hong Kong based brand, has come out with their own collection of Coke: Classic Cola, No Sugar Cola, and Water Soda.
Now, you must be wondering, why is Giant and Cold Storage favouring Meadows drinks more and placing them at prime positions, instead of letting the old classics take the eye-level shelf space?
Well, the answer is pretty simple actually.
Giant, Cold Storage and Meadows are all under the same parent company of Dairy Farm International (DFI) Retail Group Holdings Limited.
The Hong Kong retail company owns supermarkets such as Wellcome/Food World, Cold Storage, Giant, Jasons Food Hall and Hero.
Here’s another fun fact: DFI Retail Group owns Guardian and 7-Eleven as well.
Needless to say, it has a lot of socioeconomic influence in Singapore.
On the other hand, Meadows is the house brand for the supermarkets Giant and Cold Storage, while FairPrice is the house brand for FairPrice.
Meadows sells a wide range of products, from fresh produce, nuts and snacks to home cleaning liquids and paper towels.
Since Meadows is the house brand, it means that its products will be markedly cheaper than other imported items, and it’s natural that the supermarkets would promote their own unique brands instead.
Next time you step into the Cold Storage or Giant, keep an eye out for Meadows products. You’ll probably notice that the house brand items are being packed in the most conspicuous places.
Featured Image: Shutterstock / Sorbis