The World of Germanic Soft Drinks
Germany is famous for its beer. But it also has its own non-alcoholic drink brands. There’s an entire world of carbonated fruit and cola drinks in German-speaking Europe that few outsiders have ever tasted. Yes, Coca-Cola and Pepsi still dominate the non-alcoholic beverage market in Europe, just as they do in North America and most of the world, but there are local non-alcoholic fizzy beverages that you may want to try. These local brands include Afri-Cola, Almdudler, Bluna, Rivella, Sinalco, and fritz-kola.
Never heard of them? That’s because they’re domestic brands that are largely unknown beyond Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Each of the major German-speaking countries has its own brand or brands that are popular. Almdudler? That’s a well-known Austrian soft drink. Rivella? You’ll find bottles with that label in Switzerland, where it’s very popular. Fritz-Kola? Invented in 2003 and marketed on a shoestring budget by two students in Hamburg. Sinalco? A much older brand that was founded in 1902 in Detmold, Germany. Sinalco beverages (the name comes from the Latin for “without alcohol”) are now sold in over 50 countries.
The Big Guys Versus the Little Guys
The carbonated soft-drink market worldwide is dominated by three big companies that have multiple brands: Cocoa-Cola, Pepsi, and Keurig Dr Pepper. The average consumer has no idea of who owns many brands. Coke and Pepsi are obvious, but Pepsi now distributes and sells Tropicana and Gatorade. One of my favorites, Schweppes Bitter Lemon, is no longer owned by a company named Schweppes – for its German Swiss founder Johann Jacob Schweppe. It was recently part of what used to be Cadbury Schweppes, but is now part of Keurig Dr Pepper in North America. To write accurately about most of these conglomerates you have to use the word “formerly” a lot! For example: “The Dr Pepper Snapple Group, formerly Dr. Pepper/7up Inc.”
A Brief Overview
Let’s look at the domestic soft drinks you’ll find in German-speaking Europe, and in some cases some other parts of the world. You may not know that Europe’s first bottled carbonated non-alcoholic beverage (Limonade/Limo in German) was a German invention. (In the US, Dr Pepper first appeared in 1885, followed by Coca-Cola in 1886.) Since then – despite Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other bigger players – Germans, Austrians, and the Swiss have continued to develop their own soft-drink brands and flavors. (Red Bull and the energy drink market were co-invented by an Austrian.) read more…
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