The 3.01-liter soda bottle debate: Not a deliberate circumvention of the system, but a temporary solution

According to Zsolt Fórián, the 3.01-liter bottles were originally made for the Slovak market, where the company replaced the Romanian supplier. In Slovakia, Bulgaria and other Eastern European countries, the three-liter packaging is considered traditional, while it is less typical in Hungary. The delivery to the Hungarian market took place for technical reasons: the company’s 2.25-liter production line is currently undergoing renovation due to a changeover, and in order to ensure the supply of their old partners, bottles manufactured for the Slovak market were temporarily introduced to Hungarian stores. Fórián emphasized that this was only done in small quantities and that it was a completely temporary solution until the technical renovation was completed.

The unusual packaging attracted attention because it barely exceeded the 3-liter upper limit of the return system. This led to speculation from some market participants that the company was trying to circumvent the system with this. However, Zsolt Fórián firmly denied this and emphasized that all of the company’s products – from half-liter to 2.5-liter – are registered in the MOHU system.

The managing director added that Üdítő Centrum Kft. has long been one of the most sustainable domestic soft drink manufacturers, using exclusively recycled PET bottles, although there was no state support or discount associated with this.

The 3.01-liter bottles brought unexpected popularity to the company. According to market feedback, these products were particularly popular in Hajdú-Bihar County, so much so that customers even came from Miskolc. The main reason for their popularity is the favorable price level, as the price of Soma soft drinks is only a third of the price of branded products.