Domesticky

Firstly, a lot of it is just air. Not even hot air.

It’s all about the carbonation. The average fizzy drink is around 90-95% water and carbon dioxide. In the full fat versions, sugar makes up the remaining 5-10%.

So how can a product made mostly of water, sugar, and air command such a massive share of the global market?

The bubbles are worth billions.

Well, you’ve seen the ads. The sensory experience. The satisfying fizz. The refreshing coolness. And the promise of indulgence, fun, and happiness. It all works to sell you the feeling – a moment of escape in a can.

And that feeling doesn’t come cheap.

On average, own-brand colas tend to be about 50-70% cheaper than premium brands like Coca-Cola or Pepsi. For example, a 2 litre bottle of a premium cola might cost around €2–€3, while an own-brand version from a supermarket could be as low as €0.50–€1. That’s a 400% price difference for what is, on the surface, a very similar product.

These differences vary slightly by region and retailer but generally hold across most markets. And the costs don’t stop there.

The impact of the soft drinks industry is far reaching and it touches everything from personal and public health to economic inequality, from environmental destruction to the murky waters of geopolitics.

So yes, it’s time we talk about our Coke habit.

The Fizzy Drinks Empire: Scale and Scope

The soft drinks industry is enormous. Globally, it’s valued at over $870 billion, with Coca-Cola dominating the market, followed by Pepsi and then all the also rans.

The sheer scale is staggering, with billions of litres consumed annually. Coca-Cola alone produces 1.9 billion servings a day, and is available to buy everywhere except Cuba, Russia and North Korea.

Back in the 1950s, Coca-Cola established a manufacturing plant in Ballina, County Mayo. Since then, the Irish soft drinks industry has undergone dramatic growth, evolving from a modest market to a multi-billion-euro sector deeply embedded in the fabric of everyday life.

In the 1970s, fizzy drinks were more of an special occasion treat. Over time, aggressive marketing and the rise of supermarket culture transformed soft drinks into a staple of the Irish diet. By the 1990s, Ireland saw a major shift as global brands, led by Coca-Cola, expanded their reach and dominated shelf space in stores across the country.

Consumption patterns began to mirror those in the United States, with fizzy drinks becoming an everyday beverage with a vast range of options. The coke got into everything from schools to sports and the kids got hooked.

The Celtic Tiger didn’t help. Between 2000 and 2010, soft drink consumption skyrocketed. People were buying more of everything, and fizzy drinks were no exception. Throw in the multi-packs and the two litre barrack busters, and by 2017, we were drinking over 600 million litres a year. A staggering figure for a little island.

Despite public health warnings about sugar consumption, the industry’s growth continued. It’s only been in the last 10 years, with increasing awareness about the dangers of sugar and the introduction of a sugar tax in 2018, there has been a noticeable shift.

The tax levies sugary drinks with over 5 grams of sugar per 100ml, and has forced companies to reformulate many products, pushing diet and zero-sugar options instead.

Even so, the industry remains strong, adapting to consumer preferences and diversifying into healthier options like flavoured waters and energy drinks to maintain its foothold in the market.

Today, Coca-Cola has a significant footprint in Ireland. The Ballina plant is now a massive hub for Coca-Cola’s syrup production and supplies ingredients to Coca-Cola bottling plants across Europe and beyond.

Ireland’s low corporate tax rates have made it a strategic location for Coca-Cola, allowing the company to operate here in a financially advantageous way while benefiting from proximity to the European market.

Coca-Cola’s operations in Ireland are marketed as a point of national pride, creating jobs and supporting local supply chains. However, given the brand’s heavy water usage and reliance on single-use plastics, Coca-Cola’s Irish presence also raises questions about the environmental impact and sustainability commitments of the soft drink giant within Ireland, particularly as climate and waste management become increasingly urgent issues.

What’s the Price Difference? Ingredients or Advertising?

So, what accounts for the massive price gap between premium colas and own brands? There’s surprisingly little difference in the ingredients that go into premium colas and own-brand: carbonated water, sugar (or sweeteners in diet versions), flavourings, and caffeine.

Coca-Cola has a secret “recipe” that it likes to fiercely protect, giving it that distinct, slightly smoother taste. Without knowing much about that, we can only come to the conclusion that the real distinction isn’t in the formulation—it’s in the marketing.

Coca-Cola spends billions annually on advertising, celebrity endorsements, and sponsorship deals that keep its brand synonymous with happiness, refreshment, and even identity. Sweet sufferin’ Jesus – they even bought Christmas. People aren’t just buying a fizzy drink; they’re buying into a lifestyle, an image that’s been carefully crafted over decades.

Own brand just does not have the same kind of kudos. In fact, being caught with the cheap pop in your basket will most likely send you scarlet.

The Social Shame of Buying Own-Brand

We do like a brand here. We’ll happily pay more for one. Even when the product itself is no healthier—or better. It’s so endemic in our buying habits we don’t even question it.

Choosing a store-brand over a well-known label like Coca-Cola can feel like you’re admitting to financial struggles or making an uncomfortable statement about your place in the world. This is part of the power that branding holds over us: it’s not just about what we consume, but what it says about us when we do.

The Health Costs: Sugary and Diet Drinks Alike

It’s no secret that sugary drinks are bad for you, but the scale of the health risk is sobering.

Just one can of Coke contains 39 grams of sugar—that’s nearly 10 teaspoons, well over the daily recommended limit for sugar intake.

Over time, excessive sugar consumption is linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and liver damage.

But the damage isn’t just internal. Sugary drinks are a disaster for your teeth. The combination of sugar and acids in soda leads to tooth decay, eroding the enamel and causing cavities.

Shockingly, Ireland has some of the worst rates of tooth decay in Europe, and the consumption of sugary drinks is a key contributor to this crisis.

And switching to diet or “sugar-free” isn’t the answer it appears to be. While diet drinks might save you some calories, they’re still acidic enough to harm your teeth. Plus, artificial sweeteners like aspartame have long been controversial, with conflicting studies about their long-term health effects.

Although low in sugar, the acid levels in diet colas still pose a significant risk to dental health, eroding enamel just as quickly as sugary drinks.

So, whether you’re drinking the sugary version or the diet alternative, the health risks are very real—and, in some ways, equal.

Coca-Cola’s Dirty Secret: Operating on Stolen Land

Beyond the health risks and social dynamics of fizzy drinks lies an even darker reality: Coca-Cola’s involvement in controversial operations around the world.

In Palestine, Coca-Cola has been criticised for running a bottling plant on land that is part of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. These settlements are considered illegal under international law, as they sit on land stolen from Palestinians during decades of occupation.

By operating a factory in these settlements, Coca-Cola is complicit in the wider issue of settler colonialism, where indigenous people are displaced and their land exploited for profit. Despite these serious ethical concerns, Coca-Cola continues to profit from the exploitation of occupied land, with little accountability or pressure from global authorities to change course.

This glaring contradiction between the brand’s squeaky-clean, feel-good image and its on-the-ground practices underscores a deeper issue: how much of what we consume is built on exploitation, inequality, and environmental destruction.

Co Tyrone bar ditches Coke for ‘Palestine Cola’

While we sip on our Cokes, we’re unknowingly supporting practices that harm not just our health, but also communities and ecosystems far beyond our shores.

Conclusion: Breaking the Habit

The truth about your Coke habit is this:

It’s tied to a complex web of corporate greed, environmental destruction, and social inequality. From the way fizzy drinks harm our health and teeth, to the way branding manipulates our sense of status, to Coca-Cola’s operations on stolen land, there’s much more to consider than just what’s in the can.

The upside? If you’re thinking of rethinking your consumer choices, your relationship with soft drinks is a good and easy place to start. You don’t need fizzy drinks in your diet. In fact, not drinking fizzy drinks is good for your health.

And if you swear off the big cola, you’ll be pushing back against the corporate giants that profit from our health and the planet’s future.

If you really can’t give up your coke habit, check out the Maine Man.

Maine Soft Drinks is a beloved Irish soft drinks company that has been part of the country’s cultural fabric since its founding in 1949. Based in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, the company originally began as a small local operation but grew to become a household name across the north and beyond.

They’re known for their wide range of nostalgic soft drinks including sarsaparilla, American cream soda, limeade, and dandelion and burdock, along with traditional favorites like lemonade and cola.

ALL OF WHICH YOU CAN ORDER ONLINE.