The Wall Street Journal reports that Coca-Cola imported from Mexico “is a big business, fueled by the Hispanic population, the fastest growing minority group in the U.S., and soda connoisseurs drawn to its taste and the old-time look of the iconic bottle. Fans insist the Mexican cola, made with cane sugar, has a better ‘mouth feel’ than the U.S. formula. U.S. bottlers switched from cane sugar to high-fructose corn syrup in the 1980s to cut costs.”

The problem is that Coke’s management calls the imports “the work of bootleggers,” and is annoyed by the underground importation of the Mexican product. While it investigates cases of US stores selling Mexican Coke, the company also “quietly started a limited test program to allow the authorized distribution of a small amount of Mexican Coke through one of its U.S. bottlers.”

KC's View: We understand the sensitivities here, but the bottom line ought to be that if customers want the Mexican version and are willing to pay for it, somebody ought to make it possible for them to get it.