Cola, Reimagined

In this part of the world, cola is everywhere.
From the neighbourhood baqala to the most refined dining rooms, it appears on tables almost automatically — ordered without thought, poured without question.

What’s harder to ignore is the contrast.
Carefully sourced ingredients. Thoughtful menus. Beautiful food.
And then, a glass of industrial cola to wash it all down.

That moment has always felt wrong.

Over the years, alternatives have appeared. “Healthier” colas. Sugar-free colas. Functional colas. But look closely and the story rarely changes. Most are still built on artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, or acesulfame-K, sharpened with phosphoric acid, coloured with caramel colour, stabilised with preservatives, and often finished with added caffeine.

All of this, of course, is neatly summarised by one reassuring line on the front of the bottle: zero calories.

Different claims. Same foundations.

Removing sugar isn’t reinvention.
It’s avoidance.

We believed cola deserved better.

YALA Cola took six months to develop because we didn’t start with a formula — we started with history.

Cola wasn’t born as a synthetic flavour. It was inspired by cola nut, native to West Africa, traditionally consumed for its natural caffeine and energising properties. It was botanical, complex, and functional long before it became uniform and sweet.

So we returned to that idea.

Real cola nut.
Tonka bean for warmth and spice.
Madagascar vanilla for depth and softness.
Fresh lime for lift and balance.

Nothing artificial. Nothing implied.
Only ingredients you can name.

And then we fermented it.

Fermentation changes everything. It brings balance, softens sweetness, and adds a quiet complexity that syrup-based drinks can’t replicate. The result is a cola that’s layered, dry, and intentional.

It’s a mouthful.
It’s not as sweet as you expect.
It sits below 5 grams of sugar — not as a claim, but as a consequence of doing things properly.

This isn’t a guilt-free drink.
It’s an impact-ful one.

Designed to nourish rather than overwhelm.
To sit comfortably next to food.
To feel considered — from first sip to finish.

YALA Cola isn’t trying to replace what cola has become.
It’s reminding us what it always had the potential to be.