NEW Zealand dairy farmer Richard Revell was planning a low-key launch this week of his carbonated milk drink invention, mo2.
That was until Coca-Cola Amatil sparked a furore by banning Mr Revell from selling the drink at this month's New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays.
"We were going to have a very quiet and low-key launch and now we have TV cameras following us around," Mr Revell said.
"It may be publicity money can buy, but there's no way I could have afforded to buy it."
The story that Coca-Cola had used its sponsorship rights to ban the sale of mo2 broke in the New Zealand media last Wednesday.
By the time The Weekly Times rang Mr Revell later that day, he had already done six radio interviews about the controversy.
Described as a "health drink with bubbles", mo2 is made mainly from low-fat milk from Mr Revell's Te Ahora farm and flavoured with cola or lemonade.
Mr Revell said as far as he knew, it was the only drink of its kind in the world, the rest being "just soda and milk powder".
And while questions may arise over what carbonated milk actually tastes like, Mr Revell said the result was both deliciously refreshing and nutritious.
"When we carbonate low-fat milk it tastes like soda," he said.
"It's also 99.6 per cent fat-free, has 10.2 grams of protein and we are only adding 5 per cent sugar."
Mr Revell said initially, mo2 would be sold in local schools and hopefully in corner stores and service stations soon after. But he said he soon hoped to sign a deal with a large company capable of distributing the product far and wide.
"We have eight different companies in eight countries interested in making a licensed technology offer," he said.
