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The Coca-Cola company and its anchor product, the beloved soft drink Coke, need little introduction. The global beverage leader has launched some of the most-loved Christmas campaigns and family-themed commercials that generate good recall even years after they first came out.

Noelle is Asia’s only harpist, singer and songwriter, while Golamco hosts and provides entertainment for events. Before opening The Real Thing in November 2010, the duo experimented with operating a pancake kiosk, a Japanese eatery, and a Chinese restaurant, only to see their concepts flounder. The lessons they learned in two years with these businesses got them motivated to ensure The Real Thing took off successfully, sooner or later.

“Food is something that we both love,” Noelle says. “Personally, I’m passionate about discovering new ways of how different food is done. Selling them was a skill that KV and I had to learn the hard way.”Although The Real Thing is not licensed under the Coca-Cola Company, the local arm of this global firm has supported its campaigns, most notably after the business had received attention from the media.

Noelle admits they initially proposed a partnership between the restaurant and Coca-Cola. After all, Golamco worked with the company for six years, where he was able to build a huge collection of the brand’s memorabilia.

“However, the concept had so much potential that we decided to go for it. Besides, Coke products have been used in many other ways aside from drinking them at their basic, refreshing forms. I asked myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be far more interesting to use Coke in food?’” says Noelle.

With “no specific target market in mind,” Golamco put together the quirkiest items from his Coke collection, which ranged from odd-shaped soft drink cans to vintage Coke print ads, to adorn the store’s interiors. He is also in charge of the kitchen and overall monitoring of the business.

Noelle, on the other hand, is the treasurer and “PR girl” of the diner. Between the two, Golamco spends more days in the business since Noelle sees to promoting her music career as well.  Despite this, both are hands-on entrepreneurs when it comes to product research and development.

It’s too early to predict how strong and how far the business will fare in the next couple of months, but we strongly believe in its capacity to grow,” says Golamco. “Right now, there is a great demand for the brand, and we have to be able to grasp how to market it well and to whom to market it properly. This place gets all sorts of crowds: from the college barkadas, to young families, to singles, to old couples. It’s insane how different types of people keep on coming back to us,” he adds.

Another innovation the partners are currently exploring is an event they call “The Coke Swap Meet.” They invite Coke fans to bring in items from their collection and exchange it with pieces from other fanatics. The first Swap Meet happened in January 2011, gathering 15 Coke fans. “It’s good to interact with your customers so you’re able to relay the passion to them. The Coke brand can stand on its own, but The Real Thing is still taking baby steps to get there,” says Golamco.