Coca Cola Will Leave Bolivia and McDonald's Already Gone. Can The Same Happen in Costa Rica?

As of December Coca Cola will no longer be in Bolivia, by a government decision, claiming health reasons and culture, while McDonalds no longer serves up its burgers, for not being able to turn a profit.



According to the local media, a coke will be replaced by "mocochinche" (a soft peach drink).

The move is a symbolic rejection of US capitalism by the government of Bolivia that says will usher in a new era of equality.

“December 21 of 2012 will be the end of egoism and division. December 21 should be the end of Coca-Cola,” Bolivian foreign minister David Choquehuanca decreed, with bombast worthy of a viral marketing campaign.

The coming ‘end’ of the Mayan lunar calendar on December 21 of this year has sparked widespread doomsaying of an impending apocalypse. But Choquehuanca argued differently, claiming it will be the end of days for capitalism, not the planet.

“The planets will align for the first time in 26,000 years and this is the end of capitalism and the beginning of communitarianism,” said Choquehuanca as quoted by Venezuelan newspaper El Periodiquito.

The minister encouraged the people of Bolivia to drink Mocochinche, a peach-flavored soft drink, as an alternative to Coca-Cola. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez followed suit, encouraging his country to ditch the American beverage for fruit juice produced in Venezuela.

Comments Personal Hopes of Minister
However, foreign ministry spokesperson Consuelo Ponce announced Wednesday that the statement made by Choquehuanca was taken out of context and that the country has no intention of banning Coca-Cola.

Instead it appears that the foreign minister was merely revealing his personal hopes.

Unlike the doomsayers who have predicted the apocalypse to occur on Dec. 21, Choquehuanca said he is optimistic that the end of the Mayan calendar will usher in a new and more progressive era -- one that will see "the end of hatred and the beginning of love."

McFailure
As to McDonald's, the leaving of Bolivia is one of a McFailure, as the fast food giant finally gave up on Bolivia after being unable to turn a profit in the country for over a decade.



Following this failure, the monolithic multinational released a documentary titled ‘Why McDonald’s failed in Bolivia.’ Referencing surveys, sociologists, nutritionists and historians, the company came to the conclusion it was not their food that was the issue, but a culturally driven boycott.

After 14 years in the nation and despite many campaigns and promos McDonald’s was forced to close its 8 Bolivian restaurants in the major cities of La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

Can the same happen in Costa Rica?
Very unlikely. Coca Cola and McDonalds are two success stories in Costa Rica.

Coca Cola is bottled and distributed in Costa Rica by FEMSA, which is the is the largest bottler of The Coca-Cola Company in Latin America.

In fact, the product is so ingrained in the culture of Costa Rica that it has a bus terminal named after it. The terminal "la Coca Cola" is hub for all buses to Jacó, Quepos, Naranjo, Cañas, Monteverde and many other locations, as well as the buses to Pavas. Catching a bus in San Jose’s Coca Cola bus station is almost unavoidable. Hustle and bustle at the busy terminal is also unavoidable.

In the case of McDonalds it has been expanding with new locations. In the area from the hospital San Juan de Dios to the national stadium in La Sabana, there are three McDonalds in operation and one soon to open. If you go east of the San Juan de Dios to the Plaza de La Democracia, there are three McDonalds.

In total, McDonalds has more than 30 locations in Costa Rica.