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Coca Cola has been one of the most recognizable brands on the planet since the beverage’s inception being in all corners of the globe. So with that in mind, which are countries that do not have coca-cola? There is a common myth that there are two countries, namely Cuba and North Korea, that you cannot buy Coke, but time for some myth-busting. You can buy coca-cola in both Cuba and North Korea. In fact, coca-cola is the most well known global brand in the world, with even McDonalds not getting a look in when it comes to global coverage.

The Only Two Countries Not to Have Coke

Cuba

I’m not quite sure where the myth that cannot buy Coke in Cuba came from, but in the 15 years or so that I have been going there, it has been available. Coca-cola tends not to be sold or served at the state or private restaurants but is available at the many dollar stores that litter the country. What is much more common, though, and perhaps where the myth comes from is that Cuba makes its own version of Coke called “TuCola. TuCola is one of the best copy cokes#colaquest varieties I have ever tried. It makes for a good Cuba libre. Due to sanctions, the Coke you will buy in Cuba is from Mexico, which means it has real sugar and thus tastes better than the American variety.

North Korea

Coke has been available in North Korea for as long as we have been visiting the country. These days it is not uncommon at all to find Coke (Almost always imported from China) across the cities hotels, restaurants and supermarkets. Much like Cuba North Korea make their own version of Coke which you can read about here. It really is not all that good.

Countries Previously without Coke

Pepsi in the USSR

During the dying days of the Soviet Union, people would give up their firstborn child for a taste of the good stuff, but ironically it was Pepsi that was the first western brand to legally enter the Soviet market. In 1985 Pepsi struck a deal allowing them into the stores of the USSR. Ironically nowadays, Russians now associate Pepsi with starker times, whilst Coke is seen as new and cool. Thus the Pepsi gamble in Russia did not pay off.

Coke in India

Coke was previously banned in India during its Juche like “self-reliance” period. In 1977 after coca-cola was ejected from India, its legacy was taken over by Thums Up Cola. This became such a national phenomenon that when Coke re-entered the market, they could not compete with the local cola varietal. In global capitalism, there are sadly no happy endings, so they simply brought out their local rivals….

So there really aren’t two countries where cannot buy the world-famous beverage, there are literally no countries on earth where Coca Cola