Migrolino breaks with tradition - now customers are drinking Polish cola

No time? blue News summarizes for you

• Migrolino is now selling Coca-Cola cans from Poland, after price demands from Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland were incomprehensible from their point of view.
• According to Migrolino, the quality of the imported goods corresponds to Swiss production and complies with local food regulations.
• Whether a price dispute or possible effects of boycotts against US companies were the decisive factor remains open, as neither side is giving any details.

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Coca-Cola is one of the most popular drinks in Switzerland. Above all, it comes in a glass with a slice of lemon and ice. But what if the Coke no longer comes from Switzerland? Migrolino branches at petrol stations recently sold cans from abroad. More precisely: from Poland.

Switzerland actually has the perfect producer and supplier in Coca-Cola Schweiz GmbH, which has been making the drinks in Switzerland since 1936. According to its own statements, Coca-Cola employs 650 people in Switzerland and has an annual turnover of 800 million Swiss francs. So why order cans from Poland?

Price negotiations lead to reorientation

When asked, Migrolino told blue News: "At Migrolino, we work every day to ensure that we can offer our customers the best products at the best prices."

Unfortunately, Migrolino has been confronted by Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland (CCHBC) with price demands that it cannot understand. It says: "We have therefore decided to source Coca-Cola cans, which CCHBC had previously also imported from abroad, directly from abroad."

The back of the can shows where it comes from.

Picture: Samuel Walder

The quality and taste of the imported Coca-Cola products are identical to those produced in Switzerland. The imported products comply with Swiss food legislation.

Is a boycott to blame?

So the tariff must have been different before. When asked by blue News, Coca-Cola said: "We attach great importance to confidential cooperation with our customers and therefore do not comment on individual business relationships."

Supply problems at Migros

"Teams of experts are doing everything they can to stabilize the supply chains"

It is therefore not clear from the two statements whether Migrolino lowered prices for customers and Coca-Cola did not play along, or whether Coca-Cola allowed prices to rise. The latter would be conceivable. Donald Trump's tariff policy means that companies from the USA are constantly being boycotted. Consumers in Switzerland are deciding to stop supporting companies from America. Whether this is really the reason for the price difference remains unclear.