Coca-Cola will distribute Heineken by 2022

São Paulo — The fight between two drinks giants in Brazil has come to an end. A decision of the Rio de Janeiro arbitral tribunal ordered Heineken to keep Coca-Cola as a distributor of its beers until 2022, according to a contract that takes effect between the two companies. In 2017, after buying Brasil Kirin, Heineken tried to abandon the agreement with Coca-Cola, to use the distribution structure it inherited from the Japanese group (which, in turn, originated in Brazil's Schincariol). The ruling is in fact relevant released on Thursday (31), by Coca-Cola Femsa. The contract between Heineken and the Coca-Cola System brings together 13 companies. Supported by an injunction, the distributors of the soft drinks brand maintained the delivery of Heineken's brands — the portfolio also includes Kaiser, Amstel, Bavaria, Xingu and Sol. The decision ensured compliance with the contract until the two sides resolved the issue —which has now occurred. As Heineken has complied with the injunction, there will be no fine or another sanction for the brewery. Distribution war The issue of distribution brings problems to both companies. In The Case of Heineken, Kirin's inherited system was sprayed and, according to sources in the beverage industry, there was dissatisfaction on the part of these partners. In recent years, because of the injunction, they have continued to distribute only the portfolio that came from Kirin. For Coca-Cola, the problem is even bigger: this is because it is common for soft drink distributors to also offer customers a beer option. That's why a Coca-Cola distributor in Minas Gerais, Luiz Octavio Possas Gonçalves, created Kaiser in 1982. Heineken had been a partner in this brewery since the 1990s, but bought control in 2007. Even with the ban on "married selling" of drinks, the notion of distributors is that Coca-Cola sales could be harmed if it runs out of beer brands to offer bars and restaurants. The trend, according to sources, is for Coca-Cola to seek a beer option – for a new partnership or a brand to be created – by 2022. Sought, Heineken sent the following statement: "The Heineken Group in Brazil informs that it has received the final decision of the arbitration process between Kaiser Breweries, the company belonging to the Group, and the Coca-Cola Brazil System, and that its legal team is analyzing the content."