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Chat Cola's employees race to quench Palestinians' thirst for local products since the Gaza war erupted last year. With packaging reminiscent of Coca-Cola's iconic red and white aluminum cans, Chat Cola has tapped into Palestinians' desire to shun brands perceived as too supportive of Israel.
"The demand for (Chat Cola) increased since the war began because of the boycott," owner Fahed Arar, said.
Supermarket manager Mahmud Sidr described how sales of Palestinian products surged over the past year.
"We noticed an increase in sales of Arab and Palestinian products that do not support (Israel)," he said.
Although it does not supply Israeli troops in Gaza with free goods -- as some US fast food brands have been rumored to -- Coca-Cola is perceived as simply too American.
The United States provides enormous military assistance to Israel, aid that has continued through the devastating military campaign in Gaza that Israel launched in response to Hamas's unprecedented attack of October 7, 2023.
Coca-Cola says it does not support religion nor "any political causes, governments or nation states".
A manager of the National Beverage Company, the Palestinian firm bottling Coca-Cola in the Palestinian territories, said the company had not noticed the return of many products from local stores. There was however a decline of up to 80 percent in the drink's sales to foreign-named chains, said the manager, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The national boycott movement has had a big impact," Arar said.
Ibrahim al-Qadi, head of the Palestinian economy ministry's consumer protection department, said that 300 tonnes of Israeli products were destroyed over the past three months after passing their sell-by date for want of buyers.
The Palestinian economy's dependence on Israeli products has made a broader boycott difficult and Chat Cola's popularity partly stems from being one of the few quality Palestinian alternatives.
A boycott campaign has been more successful in neighboring Arab states less dependent on Israeli goods.
