In a red box factory nestled among the desolate hills of the West Bank, Chat Cola workers have been racing to quench Palestinians’ thirst for local products since the Gaza war began last year.
With packaging reminiscent of Coca-Cola’s iconic red and white aluminum cans, Chat Cola takes advantage of Palestinians’ desire to distance themselves from brands deemed too supportive of Israel.
“Demand for (Chat Cola) has increased because of the boycott since the war started,” owner Fahad Arar told AFP at the factory in the occupied West Bank city of Salfit.
Julian, a restaurateur in the city of Ramallah in the south, said he has stocked his classic red Coca-Cola branded fridge with local alternatives since the war began in October last year.
Supermarket manager Mahmoud Sidr explained how sales of Palestinian products increased last year.
“We have seen an increase in sales of Arab and Palestinian products that do not support (Israel),” he said.
Although it does not supply free goods to Israeli troops in Gaza – as some American fast food brands are rumored to do – Coca-Cola is considered simply American.
The United States provides substantial military assistance to Israel, which has continued during the devastating military operation in Gaza that Israel launched in response to Hamas’ unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack.
Coca-Cola did not respond to a request for comment, but says the company neither endorses religion nor supports “any political causes, governments or nation states.”
A manager at National Beverage Company, the Palestinian company that bottles Coca-Cola in the Palestinian territories, told AFP the company had not noticed the recall of many products from local stores.
However, beverage sales at foreign-named chains have declined by up to 80 percent, the manager said on condition of anonymity.
not just cola
“The national boycott movement has had a major impact,” Fahad Arar said.
Ibrahim al-Qadi, head of the Palestinian Economy Ministry’s consumer protection department, told AFP that 300 tonnes of Israeli products were destroyed after their sell-by date had passed due to a lack of buyers in the past three months.
The Palestinian economy’s dependence on Israeli products has made widespread boycotts difficult and Chat Cola’s popularity is partly due to it being one of the few quality Palestinian alternatives.
“There is a willingness to boycott if Palestinian producers can produce at equally good quality and price,” Raja Khalidi, head of the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute, told AFP.
Khalidi said the desire for a Palestinian alternative has grown rapidly since the war in Gaza began, but has been stifled by “the issue of production capacity which we lack”.
The boycott campaign has been more successful in neighboring Arab states less dependent on Israeli goods.
In neighboring Jordan, Dubai-based conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim Group, a franchisee of French retail giant Carrefour, announced it was closing all its operations after activists called for a boycott.
‘Palestinian taste’
Arar of Chat Cola is proud to develop quality Palestinian products.
Workers at the company’s Salfit factory wear sweaters emblazoned with the words “Palestinian taste” in Arabic and the Palestinian flag.
After opening the factory in 2019, Arar plans to open a new factory in Jordan to meet international demand and avoid the complexities of operating in the occupied West Bank.
Although the plant still produces thousands of cans of Chat, one production line has been shut down for more than a month.
Israeli authorities have blocked a large shipment of raw materials at the Jordanian border, affecting production, Arar said, adding that he can only meet 10 to 15 percent of demand for his product.
As Arar said, Israeli air defense intercepted a rocket launched from Lebanon, causing a small cloud in view of the plant.
But with war have also come opportunities.
“There has never been as much political support for buying local as there is now, so this is a good moment for other entrepreneurs to start,” said Khalidi, the economist.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
