Sunday, December 2, 2018

How Pepsi won the USSR .. And then almost lost everything ...Contributed by my grandson Jason

 


My grandson Jason works for the Pepsi Company and thought I would be interested in some history of the company. I was very interested and enjoyed the video he showed me . Here it is for your edification and entertainment.
 Shadow
 
For half a century the USSR was America's greatest rival ... and yet one American company was able to capture the heart and wallets of the Soviet Union: Pepsi.

Starting with an ambitious exhibition after Khrushchev's rise to power, Pepsi was able to negotiate a strategic trading deal with the USSR: Pepsi would sell their product in exchange for Stolichnaya vodka, which they could sell back home in America.

With trade becoming more lucrative, Pepsi's barter became increasingly ambitious: at one point they traded over a dozen submarines and were in the process of exchanging a fleet of oil tankers, but then the Soviet Union collapsed.

In a frantic scramble to secure their assets, which were now scattered across a dozen countries, Pepsi lost their footing. Coca Cola, on the other hand, stood poised to overtake their rival. The fall of the USSR was a great opportunity for them, and over the course of a single decade Coca Cola entered Russia and became the number 1 cola in the country.

2 comments:

  1. Sorry to be so long commenting on this valuable article , we all are a little late , Mama went with daddy to help him , that left us in limbo until they return . Mama got back this evening late , boy we were glad to see her .
    I find this article very interesting that Pepsi was once #1 drink .
    Aunt Jeannie , thank your grandson for us , it was very enlightening to know Pepsi was able to sell their product in the USSR . I asked uncle Harvey had he taste Stolichnaya Vodka , he said a long time back .
    Ask your grandson if he come upon any other tidbits to please share them with us .
    Love Jonny

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  2. Hi Jonny
    I will tell Jason that you enjoyed it. It was a little piece of history that I had not heard before. I will tell him to contribute more if he can.
    Love Shadow

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