Nix Cola

The Uruguayan company Caribeño S.A. introduced Nix Cola in May 1997. The company had been founded in 1992 by two entrepreneurs previously active in the cleaning products sector. After producing fruit-flavored drink concentrates under the Caribeño name, the company installed a carbonated soft drink production line in 1995. Full technical operation was achieved in 1997, and the Nix range was launched that year. Cola formed part of the brand’s core flavor lineup from the beginning.

Caribeño S.A. developed its own beverage formulations in cooperation with flavor suppliers. The company operated as a family-owned business and distributed its products initially in the northern districts of Montevideo before expanding to near-national coverage. By mid-2000, Nix held an estimated 14–15 percent share of the official Uruguayan soft drink market, a level similar to Pepsi at the time. The average official retail price per liter for Nix was estimated at approximately USD 0.35 in 2000, compared with approximately USD 0.61 for Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

In 2012, the Chilean beverage group Compañía Cervecerías Unidas (CCU) acquired the Nix soft drink business. The transaction included the full acquisition of the Uruguayan companies Marzurel S.A., Milotur S.A., and Coralina S.A., as well as control of Andrimar S.A., which held the assets related to the production and commercialization of the Nix brand and the mineral water brand Nativa. Following the acquisition, Nix continued as part of CCU’s beverage portfolio in Uruguay.