Vita Cola is a

cola Cola is a Carbonation, carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus essential oil, oils, and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked br ...

beverage produced in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Vita Cola's flavor is described as cola-like with a strong note of lemon and fruit flavoring. It is also noticeably less sweet than

Afri-Cola Afri Cola is a cola soft drink produced in Germany. The trademark Afri-Cola was registered in 1931 by the company F. Blumhoffer Nachfolger GmbH. The same company also produced Bluna, an orange soft drink. Today the brand belongs to the Mineralb ...

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

, and has a slightly thicker consistency due to its use of citrus and other aromatic oils in the formula.

Vitasoy Vitasoy () is a Hong Kong beverage company. It hosts a brand of beverages and desserts named '' Vita''. Founded in 1940, it now operates under the Vitasoy International Holdings Limited. Its headquarters are in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hon ...

(an unrelated company) also produces a cola beverage branded as Vita Cola.

History and popularity

Vita Cola started out in the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

. Introduced in 1957, it was advertised as ''Brauselimonade mit Frucht- und Kräutergeschmack'' (carbonated soft drink with fruit and herb flavoring), using a formula that is still kept secret (similar to Coca-Cola's " Merchandise 7X" formula). At its peak, Vita Cola was bottled in over 200 factories. After the fall of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...

and

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...

in 1989, Vita Cola's business quickly collapsed as Western cola brands took its place. However, with the advent of Ostalgie (nostalgia among East Germans for the "old days"), many former GDR products were brought back, Vita Cola being one of the most popular. The company ''Thüringer Waldquell'' from Schmalkalden,

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

, secured the rights to the name and formula and began producing Vita Cola in 1994. From 2002 to 2005, Vita Cola sponsored

FC Hansa Rostock FC Hansa Rostock () is a German association football club based in the city of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The club is also called as "the cog" because of its club crest. They have emerged as one of the most successful clubs from ...

, a soccer club from

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; ), also known by its Anglicisation, anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a Federated state, state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's States of Germany, sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpom ...

. Vita Cola has since then surpassed

Pepsi Cola Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long-standing rivalry ...

and is still regaining market share in the former East Germany. In

, Vita Cola had the biggest market share of colas in 2009, even above Coca-Cola. That means that Thuringia is one of the few regions in the world where a regional cola brand is the market leader. A 2019 news item stated that the product sold a record 89 million liters in 2018 "making it Germany’s most popular domestic cola". Today there is only one other former East German cola brand in production: Club Cola.

Ingredients

Natural mineral water, Sugar, Carbonic acid, Acidulants ( E270, citric acid, phosphate), Dye E150 d, Natural aroma, Vitamin C, Caffeine.

References

External links

* * (in German) {{Colas Cola brands Products introduced in 1957 German drinks Ostalgie Goods manufactured in East Germany Soft drinks

History and popularity

Ingredients

See also

References

External links