Coca-Cola vs. Cacaolat? Coca-Wat?
Cacaolat – what’s in a name?
Cacaolat was the first industrially produced batido (milkshake made from cocoa and milk) in 1933. The Catalan Grupo Cacaolat is owned by the Damm brewery and Cobego, a Coca-Cola bottler (to complicate the story even more). The brand targets the Catalan market, but is widely available in the rest of Spain as well.
Now, does this have anything to do with The Coca-Cola Company? No. While the name is similar, the origins are completely justified. The name Coca-Cola comes from two of the formula's main ingredients: Coca leaves and Cola nuts. While CacaoLat comes from cocoa and milk.
Similar Logo - What's in a Logo?
Cacaolat was launched in the 1930s by founder and industrialist Joan Viader Roger. A calligraphic logo was designed for it at the time, inspired by the logo trend of the time.
Coca-Cola was not bottled in Spain then, but was already available. So the question rises whether Roger was inspired by the Coca-Cola logo? An important point here is that typographic options were not as varied then as they are now, and calligraphic logo design was an undeniable trend.
For example, many well-known brands from the early 20th century have very similar fonts. In the overview, we see brands like Leica, Ford, Pepsi, Lancia, Chevrolet, General Electric, AEG, Triumph or Iberia.
For example, many well-known brands from the early 20th century have very similar typefaces
Legal battle?
You would expect Coca-Cola, with one of the most well-known trademarks in the world, to respond to this? According to the OEPM, Spanish Trademark Office, no application or opposition to the Cocaolat trademark has been filed by Coca-Cola. If we were to develop and launch a similar logo today, it would be a different story. Since Coca-Cola is a widely known brand today, this logo would fail the legal test. Because creating a brand with such a similar logo could be confusing for consumers. Also considering the previous rights of Coca-Cola, which by now enjoys iconic status!