Sultan Cola
Behind the sleek white-and-gold cans of Sultan Cola stands the Austrian company Sultan Drinks, founded in 2013 by Dr. Imran D. Mehić and Mirzet Spahić. Both arrived in Austria in the early 1990s as refugees from the wars in former Yugoslavia and later co-founded the parent company Bosmen GmbH—a name that likely nods to their Bosnian heritage. Dr. Mehić holds a PhD in molecular biology and is prominently featured on the company’s website as the scientific mind behind the products. Spahić, meanwhile, is involved in several Austrian ventures and remains co-owner of Sultan Drinks to this day.
Sultan Cola was launched in the autumn of 2014 and distinguishes itself by including black seed extract (Nigella sativa), a spice cultivated for millennia and found even in the tomb of Tutankhamun. In Middle Eastern traditional medicine, black seed has been associated with a range of health benefits, though clinical trials have yet to demonstrate any clear medicinal effect. Sultan Drinks highlights the ingredient’s heritage and aroma, rather than promoting it as a health product.
The cola is vegan and halal-certified. It is sweetened with sugar and contains 9.4 g per 100 ml—on par with most mainstream colas. A reduced-sugar version, Sultan Cola de light, is also available. The company’s product line includes other soft drinks such as lemon and orange soda, iced tea, and an energy drink.
In 2016, Sultan Drinks became the subject of controversy when Der Spiegel accused some of the company’s German distribution partners of having salafist ties and of channeling profits toward jihadist causes. The article presented little documentation, and no links to Sultan Drinks or its founders were established. The company considered legal action against the magazine, but no public lawsuit appears to have followed.
Sultan Cola is exported to around 20 countries through local distributors, who also manage marketing in their respective regions.
