Don't Tell Coca-Cola about Cocada Cearense!

When Flavors of Brazil is out shopping for food, whether in a supermarket, a traditional outdoor market, or gourmet shop, we're always on the outlook for interesting, locally-produced artisanal foods. There's a number of reasons for this - first, they are often wonderfully delicious products; second, they're sometimes quirky and unusual, and finally, they just might provide subject matter for a posting here at the blog.

Yesterday, a group of friends had a late lunch at a neighborhood casual dining spot called Budega do Poço, famous for its oil-and-garlic shrimps. Attached to the restaurant is a small shop that sells local food products. Browsing the selection, on the outlook for something new and untried, we spotted a plastic carton containing a dozen round cakes of cocada, a sweet made from a simple mixture of grated fresh coconut, whole milk and sugar. (Click here to read more about cocada.) Plain, natural and traditional, cocada is a Brazilian sweet with a long history and something found all around the country. These were made by a local company, and were branded Cocada Cearense - that is "cocada from Ceará", the state of which Fortaleza is the capital.

What brought a smile to our faces, and what made us buy a carton was the Cocada Cearense label. Here's a photo of it.

Does it remind you of something you've seen before? The colors, the typeface? Perhaps the world's most famous soft drink?

I certainly hope that Coca-Cola's in-house lawyers have better things to do than hassle this obviously miniscule company over trademarked fonts and logos. But I know that multinational giants often go to ridiculous lengths to protect their trademarks. So Flavors of Brazil asks all its readers - Please, don't tell Coca-Cola about Cocada Cearense!