Bec Cola
{{Short description|Carbonated soft drink}}
{{Infobox beverage
| name = Bec Cola
| image =
| caption =
| type = Cola
| manufacturer = Bec Soda Inc.
| distributor = Horizon Nature
| origin = Canada
| introduced = {{start date and age|2014}}
| colour =
| flavour = Cola
| website =
}}
{{outdated|date=November 2021}}
Bec Cola is a carbonated soft drink sweetened with maple syrup. It is mainly distributed in Canada, France, Belgium, and Switzerland.
History
In 2012, Olivier Dionne, along with the brothers Gwendal and Kevin Creuer, decided to create a soda without using artificial ingredients, after seeing the amount of chemical additives in other colas.{{cite web |last=Robin |first=Laura |date=19 August 2015 |title=Found: Made-in-Quebec cola, sweetened with maple syrup |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/life/food/found-made-in-quebec-cola-sweetened-with-maple-syrup |accessdate=4 January 2018 |work=Ottawa Citizen |publisher=Postmedia Network}}{{cite web |last=DeLean |first=Paul |date=20 June 2016 |title=Drinks sweetened with maple syrup put Bec Soda on the map |url=https://montrealgazette.com/business/drinks-sweetened-with-maple-syrup-put-bec-soda-on-the-map |accessdate=4 January 2018 |work=Montreal Gazette |publisher=Postmedia Network}}{{cite web|url=http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2014/11/26/un-cola-purement-quebecois|title=Un cola purement québécois|work=Le Journal de Montréal|last=Harvey|first=Véronique|date=26 November 2014|publisher=Quebecor Media|accessdate=4 January 2018|language=fr}} It took two years of R&D to replace the chemical additives in generic cola with natural ingredients{{cite web |date=20 October 2016 |title=From Foodie to Founder: Bec Cola |url=https://www.futurpreneur.ca/en/2016/from-foodie-to-founder-bec-cola/ |accessdate=4 January 2018 |publisher=Futurpreneur Canada}} and a collaboration with the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers for the supply of maple syrup (the new drink is 88% maple syrup).
Bec Soda Inc. entered production in August 2014{{cite web |date=4 November 2015 |title=Leur Bec Cola fait pétiller la Belle Province |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/le-mans-72000/leur-bec-cola-fait-petiller-la-belle-province-3820056 |accessdate=4 January 2018 |work=Ouest-France |language=fr}} with $140,000 of the partners' money invested. Two months after its launch, it began to be bottled in Rougemont, Quebec.{{cite web |last=Ballivy |first=Violane |date=24 October 2014 |title=Un "Coke" au sirop d'érable |url=http://www.lapresse.ca/vivre/gourmand/cuisine/terroir/201410/24/01-4812222-un-coke-au-sirop-derable.php |accessdate=4 January 2018 |work=La Presse |language=fr}} In the first year, it sold 50,000 bottles, and 500,000 bottles in the first half of 2016. Lime and cranberry variants were introduced in June 2016, and the 100,000-bottle production run was pre-sold.
In March 2020, Coca-Cola launched its own maple-based cola brand (using maple aromas and Quebec-inspired visuals), a threat to Bec Cola's leading position in the maple-based cola niche market.{{Cite web |last=Ménard |first=Martin |date=2020-03-20 |title=Du Coke à l’érable sans érable? |url=https://www.laterre.ca/actualites/alimentation/du-coke-a-lerable-sans-erable/ |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=La Terre de chez nous |language=fr-FR}}
Activities
Bec Cola is produced by Bec Soda Inc. It contains the following ingredients: Filtered carbonated water, organic maple syrup, organic beet sugar, citric acid, organic caramel colour, and organic cola flavour. 20 tons of maple syrup are necessary to produce 500,000 bottles of Bec Cola.
{{As of|2016}}, the company has 1,200 points of sale in Quebec and 1,000 points of sale combined in France, Belgium, and Switzerland. It is also sold in Ontario. The labeling, originally entirely in French, is also printed in English.