He does not believe he is a powerful man. Shy, humble and above all passionate, this businessman who believed in Peruvian flavor long before the gastronomic boom of recent years is convinced that Peru is an investment paradise.
If Peruvians love Inca Kola and you are the owner, am I in front of one of the most powerful men in Peru?
I don't feel powerful. I was 5 years old when the drink was born and, of course, I feel identified as all Peruvians do.
Were you a naughty boy?
No, remember that I belong to a British family that had rules. I remember when I was 5 years old my father used to tell me: come with me to count in the truck, and that's where I went. My obsession as a child was to drive trucks, that's what I wanted: to deliver.
And did you drive trucks?
Of course! I started delivering when I left school. At the age of 18 I was already driving all over Surquillo and Barranco, I also went to La Punta. It was a fight to get clients and I would deliver.
Then it started from the bottom...
The whole family did the same, this is our school, our university, our passion. The effort was artisanal, remember that there was not even refrigeration. It used to be a different world.
In these years, what is the invention that has surprised you the most?
A lot of things. I remember when I was a kid Dick Tracy had a watch and talked on the radio, then came James Bond with his car and his incredible things and now look at everything that has a cell phone. It's amazing technology.
And how did they survive? Many families gouge their eyes out for money?
God willing, we have reached the age of 100 with the family always united and with the motto that my father once put in place: do things right, behave well and always love each other. These are elementary principles that we follow. It's in our blood and the workers are our family.
What did your father used to say?
That we are all equal, that we should all respect each other and help each other. That was the slogan, and there was no way to get the upper hand because everyone put their shoulder to the wheel. Dominance should never be abused, never. Respect keeps respect, that is my rule.
Do you accept opposing opinions?
All day long, it's good to discuss. Mistakes teach you to listen.
Was it a mistake to sell your shares to Coca-Cola?
That is a misinterpretation that was manipulated in a self-serving way. This is a strategic partnership, it meant partnering with the first soft drink producer in the world that no one had ever had before. Inca Kola was our inherited good and we thought: who could have it for life? Coca-Cola, who has the number one beverage in the world. We succeeded. The king of the world asked us to be partners, and this has not been repeated.
So 50% is yours and the other 50% is Coca-Cola's?
No, they have about 40%, we have more than 50%; and the rest, relatives and other companies.
The negotiation lasted three years.
Yes, and they accepted our proposals. To reassure our doubts, we interviewed as many Peruvians as we could to find out what they thought of the alliance with Coca-Cola. The result was that we deserved it.
Have you given your secret formula to Coca-Cola?
Exactly, in what better hands could it be? We had to think about tomorrow. Coca-Cola is 125 years old and still living, we are 75 years old this year, it was the best thing we could do. It was putting the most valuable thing we had in the safest hands in the world. We fought well from the beginning and everything that has come afterwards are imitations, both from Coca-Cola and Inca Kola, what they have done afterwards is basically to imitate.
Tell me the secret...
The secret is that the flavor cannot be identified, it is yellow because of the Peruvian gold, but its flavor cannot be deciphered. Whether you like it or not is another matter.
Then you will not tell me the recipe.
The important thing is that you like it and if you like it you already have your recipe.
Why didn't Coca-Cola manage to beat Inca Kola?
We learned from them how to manage the market, we advanced over time and we cannot deny it: Coca-Cola was the school. The other thing was our taste. I don't know how to ham myself, but I can say that the construction of the brand through advertising had a great impact.
Who came up with the phrase "National Flavor Drink"?
It was a small group that developed...
Don't be so humble, then. Tell me how you came up with it?
No, well, we have always worked together, I was thinking about how to coin a phrase. The one I have engraved in my mind for the rest of my life is: "There is only one Inca Kola and it is not like any other". That came true. Once we got its own image, we played with the national flavor because the drink goes with all foods.
And if I kidnap him today and we go to lunch, what do we eat?
We would have to go with the nurse, ha, ha, ha, ha. I tell you an anecdote about lunches. When we just started we would go to restaurants, there were about 12 of us and we always ordered the best dishes, then we would ask for Inca Kola to drink and if there was none we would leave, after a while one of our salesmen would come and offer us the drink, of course they would buy it. We did it many times, it was a way to increase demand. The waiters loved us...
What do you drink now: Inca Kola normal or diet?
I never drank anyone's diet drink, but when we launched ours I tried it. I remember Gastón told me that Inca Kola diet was a real diet because the taste had not changed. It took us five years to get to the taste, we did not hurry until we achieved it, we did not want it to leave that residue that is in the others.
So you don't mind delaying until you get what you want.
You have to feel that things are right before you take a risk. You shouldn't rush.
Why do you think you managed to get into the hearts of Peruvians?
Because we knew how to communicate that we felt part of the country. During the times of terrorism we said that Inca Kola was the flavor that unites us, we gave encouragement; when the times of pain passed, it was the flavor of joy, it was the party. In the face of imitations, we communicated that Inca Kola is the Peruvian flavor, we always made that distinction, we always felt proud of Peru.
Long before the gastronomic boom, you were proud of Peruvian food...
I always liked Peruvian food; besides, we wanted to find a channel that we all associated with, we felt that we were a flavor whose value was Peru.
You are 80 years old, Inca Kola is 75 years old, your corporation is 100 years old, how do you see Peru?
I believe that today all countries are optimistic about their development, but Peru has shown that it has withstood the crisis better than anyone else; we are an example. Peruvians are hard workers, we like to grow, I see it. There are very enterprising people in the country and if we have maintained our position for a hundred years it is because of hard-working people; we are grateful for that. I believe in Peru, we have fought to move forward and we continue to do so.
Have you ever felt like the master of the world?
My first look in the mirror every morning is the same: I always tell myself that I am nothing, that I must keep working, that I am like everyone else. If I thought I was the best, I'd be thrown out of the company for sure. We have three thousand workers who don't know about positions or complexes. A businessman has to respect his collaborator, and it is not a pose, it is a value that must prevail.
There are people who get dizzy with power and money....
I can only tell you that I was born here, that I come here every day, how can I forget that, how can I become different? There is no way. There are people who, without having anything, are very arrogant and I imagine that they are genes or things they have learned.
They say you are shy.
Shyness could be categorized in two ways, one is not existing, the other is not seeking to stand out, I belong to the second one.
What advice would you give to a young person who dreams of success?
I would tell him to define his dream well because there are many opportunities and the rhythm is very strong. He should think very carefully about what he wants to do because whatever he chooses will have competition and for that you have to learn and work hard. The one who prepares the most is the one who has the most options, that is why today education and technology are essential. And the most important thing: to undertake something you have to know that you can succeed. Wanting to succeed, that's the point.
What part of Peru have you not yet reached?
The Angel.
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, to the cemetery?
Ha, ha, ha, ha. We have reached all of Peru, but we also understand that there are regional drinks. We want to grow more and that is our current goal. It is not easy to reach the remote provinces. Peru is an investment paradise.
Maruja, your sister (*), did she delegate everything to you?
Noooooooo, she has her family, her children, she worked a lot.
Didn't she tell you to make me a millionaire?
Ha, ha, ha, ha, noooooooo, what a bah. Neither, neither, if she told me that I would have told her to work and not to trust too much. She was very committed. I don't understand women who don't work, I don't understand people who don't do anything. And look, today two women are trying to be president of Peru.
What does Johnny Lindley believe in?
In the most elementary: I believe that there is a God and that one can take refuge in him. When I get up, the first thing I do is ask him for energy, that everything goes well during the day. We all, whether we say it or not, feel the same way: we want to do well.
And what bothers you?
I have no grudges or resentments because if you keep the discomfort you poison your soul unnecessarily. If you think you are always right, it complicates things.
Nothing bothers you?
That's when I look in the mirror again, when I think something bothers me about others I look to see if I haven't fallen into the same thing. The mirror always tells you how you are. You can stumble, but you have to know how to get out.
This interview will be read by thousands of Peruvians who have tasted your drink, do you want to tell them something?
I just want to say that we are in a great country, that we have to take advantage of opportunities. Our main duty is to move Peru forward.
Source: (*) Interview published in the newspaper El Comercio (Peru) on 11/14/2010. His sister Maruja passed away two days after the interview.
