Manaos Cola

Manaos Cola is an Argentine cola brand launched in 2004 by Refres Now S.A. in Buenos Aires Province. The company was founded the same year by Orlando Canido after a long career in beverage distribution. The brand name references the Brazilian city of Manaus. Production is based in Virrey del Pino, Partido de La Matanza.

The founder had previously distributed soft drinks, including the brand Sao, which was produced by San Isidro Refrescos, a former bottler of Coca-Cola in Argentina. After losing distribution rights around 2000, Canido launched Manaos as a competing brand. In later interviews he stated that he chose a Brazilian-sounding name to compete in a market where Brazilian-branded soft drinks were visible in supermarkets. He later expressed regret about the name and said there had been no intention to internationalize the brand.

Manaos positioned itself in the value segment of the Argentine carbonated beverage market. Distribution has traditionally focused on small neighborhood supermarkets and Chinese-owned grocery stores, while multinational brands such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola maintained stronger presence in large retail chains. The brand gained wider national visibility during the 2010s.

In 2025, Refres Now acquired Prodea, the company behind Cunnington Cola, which operates in the same price segment as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Prior to the acquisition, Refres Now had also produced La Bichy Ahora Cola. Through the purchase of Prodea, the company additionally took control of Neuss Cola. After the transaction, both La Bichy Ahora and Neuss were discontinued.

The product line includes the original cola and a sugar-free version marketed as “Sin Azúcar.” The Manaos line also includes a variety of flavored soft drinks.