The people of Calabria are crazy about coffee. It is not a heresy, otherwise it would not explain the fact that in the region there are since decades big companies producing carbonated drinks with that unmistakable aroma: Brasilena and Moka Drink above all. Companies that, located between the provinces of Catanzaro and Cosenza, compete fiercely with the multinationals. At least in Calabria.
Brasilena, born from a rib of the Acqua Calabria company, is the best known, it has unchallenged dominion on the Ionian coast, but its aura reaches Puglia, Basilicata and Sicily. Not to mention exports: there are many requests from the States or crates that every day take the roads to the North. On the market for over 50 years, it has also become an ingredient for successful cocktails such as the Black jelly Bean (sambuca with ice and Brasilena) or the Italian Nero (vodka with ice, Brasilena and optional cream). Anyone who has come to Calabria or knows a Calabrese cannot have failed to taste it or just heard its praises sung.
On the opposite regional side, Moka Drink reigns, produced and marketed by the company Moka Drink Srl in the plants of Dipignano in the province of Cosenza. The non-alcoholic drink is enchanting for its characteristic caramel aftertaste and has no preservatives. Born after the Second World War, through the infusion of different blends of coffee, has in common with the big Coca Cola the same colorant. The rest is pure creativity made in Calabria.
