It is said that the introduction of the
New Coke in 1985 destroyed a good potion of the
economy of
Madagascar. An essential part of that nation's
income derived from the
export of
vanilla beans. The old Coke had a much fabled
secret ingredient not present in the fruitier and more syrupy New Coke:
vanilla. The reintroduction of
Coke Classic (more of a
hybrid of the old and New Coke, to my
jaded sensorium) brought about a slow recovery in the
Madagascar GDP.
As might be expected, the introduction of Vanilla Coke in 2002 brought great joy to the vanilla factors of Antananarivo, especially as prices were already rising in response to a recent hurricane destroying part of the vanilla harvest.