A DRINK created in France as a protest symbol for the Palestinian Intifida in 2001, is catching up amongst the Muslim and non-Muslim consumer alike.
The drink was branded as an alternative to the ubiquitous US brands Coke and Pepsi.
As a part of international expansion strategy, Mecca cola will set up eight bottling plants in Indonesia by 2008.
The drink has made inroads in 64 countries. It produced more than 1 billion litres and has moved its headquarters from France to Dubai in 2004.
In an interview with the Bernama news agency, the company was quoted as saying that the biggest markets are in Mexico and Brazil, where consumers concerns are about “US colonialism”.
The latest target country is Indonesia, which is the world’s biggest Muslim nation.
Many copycat brands have also come up like Britain’s Qibla Cola and many counterfeit brands, in countries such as Pakistan and Kenya.