Ti L’Or Cola

In the Central African Republic, Ti L’Or Cola shows how military presence is used as a spearhead for business expansion and political influence. The brand is linked to Russian interests connected to the Wagner Group, a private military force often described as mercenaries and designated as a terrorist organization by several governments.

Ti L’Or Cola was on the market by 2024, with production likely starting in late 2023. It forms part of a wider range of drinks that also includes other soft drinks, bottled water, and beers sold mainly in Bangui and nearby areas.

The company behind Ti L’Or Cola is First Industrial Company SAU, a beverage producer registered in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, and operating under the Africa Ti L’Or name. The company was founded in 2020 by Russian business figures, and its bottling and production equipment has been imported from Russia. It is widely seen as part of a broader Russian push in the country, where armed presence has been followed by rapid business expansion into mining, transport, media, and consumer goods. Through this close symbiosis between political leadership in Moscow, Wagner-linked structures on the ground, and Russian business interests in Bangui, consumer brands become tools for turning military leverage into long-term economic and political influence.

Primary source: Wagner Fanta: Russia’s Defunct Mercenary Group Hopes To Make A Killing On Bottled Water (Radio Free Europe, 28 March 2025).