Rivella is a soft drink from
Switzerland, created by Robert Barth in 1952, which is produced from
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulati ...
whey
Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard ...
, and therefore includes ingredients such as
lactose
Lactose is a disaccharide sugar synthesized by galactose and glucose subunits and has the molecular formula C12H22O11. Lactose makes up around 2–8% of milk (by mass). The name comes from ' (gen. '), the Latin word for milk, plus the suffix ...
,
lactic acid
Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has a molecular formula . It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as well as natur ...
and minerals.
Other than Switzerland, it is sold in several other countries, notably the Netherlands, and is available in several varieties depending on the country.
History
In 1950 Roberth Barth and the biologist Hans Süsli Zurich used a recipe initially conceived to produce a beer made with whey to create a soft drink, which came to be marketed as Rivella Red in 1952, when Rivella AG was founded.
The name Rivella was inspired by the municipality of
Riva San Vitale
Riva San Vitale is a municipality in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland, located in the district of Mendrisio.
History
Riva San Vitale is first mentioned in 774 as ''Primo Sobenno''. In 1115 it was mentioned as ''Ripa Sancti Vitalis''.
The ...
in
Canton Ticino
Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
and the Italian word for "revelation", rivelazione.
The initial production began in
Stäfa
Stäfa is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
Geography
Stäfa has an area of . Of this area, 46.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 34% is set ...
before moving to
Rothrist
Rothrist is a municipality in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.
History
Originally an Alamanni settlement, the modern village of Rothrist is first mentioned in 1263 as ''Routris''. The '' Herrschaft'' rights wer ...
, where it remains to this day.
Second variety of Rivella was launched in 1958 in the Netherlands and in 1959 in Switzerland, known as Rivella Blue, a
lower calorie alternative to the original recipe.
It was the first diet soft drink to be launched in Europe. A third variety, Rivella Green, was launched in 1999 made with green tea extract,
and Rivella Yellow, made with soy milk as an alternative to milk whey, in 2008.
In 2000 the presidency was passed on from Robert Barth to his son Alexander Barth, before the death of Robert Barth in 2007.
Until 2008, Swiss supermarket chain
Migros
Migros () is Switzerland's largest retail company, its largest supermarket chain and largest employer. It is also one of the forty largest retailers in the world. It is structured in the form of a cooperative federation (the Federation of Migro ...
stocked an
own-brand version of the beverage called Mivella, which was made by Rivella specifically for the supermarket. In 2008, Migros replaced it with Rivella as it did not enjoy the same popularity among customers as the original drink. In February 2022, in a further attempt to compete with Rivella, Migros revived the competitor drink "Prego", which dates back to 1956 when it was created by Robert Schlör.
In 1977 Rivella began sponsoring the Swiss National Ski team.
In 2017 they celebrated 40 years of partnership in
St. Moritz
St. Moritz (also german: Sankt Moritz, rm, , it, San Maurizio, french: Saint-Moritz) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality ...
.
Ingredients
The ingredients of Rivella Red are as follows:
*
Water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...
*
Milk whey (35%)
*
Sugar
*
Carbonic acid
*
Acidity regulator
Acidity regulators, or pH control agents, are food additives used to change or maintain pH (acidity or basicity). They can be organic or mineral acids, bases, neutralizing agents, or buffering agents. Typical agents include the following a ...
(L(+)-
Lactic Acid
Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has a molecular formula . It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as well as natur ...
)
*
Acidifier
Acidifiers are inorganic chemicals that, put into a human (or other mammalian) body, either produce or become acid.
These chemicals increase the level of gastric acid in the stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastroint ...
(L(+)-
Lactic Acid
Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has a molecular formula . It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as well as natur ...
)
* Caramelised sugar
* Natural flavourings
* Rivella Red contains 160 kJ of energy (approx. 37 kcal) per 100 ml as 10g of sugar.
* Rivella Blue contains 14 grams of lactose and artificial sweeteners (cyclamate, acesulfame K) instead of refined sugar. This reduces the energy content to 30 kJ (approx. 7 kcal) per 100 ml.
* Rivella Green Tea also contains green tea extracts (0.05%). Its energy content is 90 kJ (approx. 22 kcal) per 100 ml.
Varieties
Dutch varieties of Rivella:
* Rivella Original
* Rivella Green Tea
* Rivella Cranberry
* Rivella Pineapple
* Rivella Raspberry
Availability
Rivella is seen as Switzerland's national beverage.
The share by value of Rivella AG in the Swiss soft drinks market was 15.3 per cent in 2013, putting Rivella second to
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...
.
Rivella is a long-established brand in the
Principality of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...
. Rivella Light was launched as a diabetic beverage in the Netherlands in 1958. It appeared on the Swiss market one year later (1959) as Rivella Blue.
The Netherlands remains the largest foreign market for Rivella. Rivella is also available in the regions bordering Switzerland in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
and
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
Rivella beverages available abroad are made to the same recipe as in
Switzerland except the Netherlands, where beverages are made by Rivella licensing partner Vrumona using concentrate supplied by Rivella.
Rivella was available in stores in the United States, but it is no longer available in that way. American customers can still order it online.
See also
*
Culinary Heritage of Switzerland
The Culinary Heritage of Switzerland (german: Kulinarisches Erbe der Schweiz, french: Patrimoine culinaire suisse, it, Patrimonio culinario svizzero, rm, Patrimoni culinar svizzer) is a multilingual online encyclopedia of traditional Swiss cui ...
References
External links
Rivella Official website
{{Portal bar, Food, Switzerland
Soft drinks
Culinary Heritage of Switzerland
Swiss brands
Swiss drinks
Products introduced in 1952