Have you Heard of Guarana?

Coke. Pepsi. Sprite. Fanta. We have it all. The only sodas (or pops, as Midwesterners tend to say) we are missing (as far as I can tell…) here in Brazil are Root Beer and Dr. Pepper. However, there is a soda here with a different twist. Perhaps you’ve heard of it, but most likely not. It's called Kuat.

Guarana is an Amazon fruit. It is sold here in two forms: juice and soda. While the actual fruit is not available to purchase, at least not here in Brazil, one can buy the fruit concentrate juice. Or one can buy the flavored soda, known as Kuat, produced by Coke.

It’s incredible to see how a company, such as Coca-Cola is able to market its products by changing its products and sales to meet the specific needs of the people it serves. The Brazilian people love things to be VERY sweet and love fruity flavors… so Coke created Kuat… the soda flavored after the Amazonian fruit Guarana.

As American companies make their way down to South America, it’s incredible to see the new products they offer here that aren’t available in the U.S.! Instead of chocolate soft serve ice cream at the Argentinean McDonald’s, for example, there was Dulce de Leite ice cream, an Argentinean favorite, and Oreo makes “Dulce de Leite” Oreos, an absolutely delicious snack. American chip brands have churrasco flavors, the Brazilian-style BBQ. Pizza Hut serves a more Italian-style pizza to compare with the Italian pizzas made by the Italian immigrants here, with Brazilian toppings such as corn, egg, ham, and many more available.

As companies continue to globalize, it’s interesting to see how the companies adapt to their new cultures and clients. Each place is unique, as are the people who live there. An American company we all recognize and know well isn’t exactly the same in each place. It has make changes to meet the needs and expectations of the people around the world. Because of this, I find many American brands with unusual products here I would never find in the U.S.

Peter L. Berger said, “The negative side to globalization is that it wipes out entire economic systems and in doing so wipes out the accompanying culture.” However, while Brazilian society certainly has been deeply impacted by United States economics and culture, large globalized companies realize that globalization has not, in fact, made a universal culture. Therefore, they must work hard to find a way to incorporate their product or service into another culture, such as Brazilian culture.