Almdudler () is the brand name of a popular

carbonated Carbonation is the chemical reaction of carbon dioxide to give carbonates, bicarbonates, and carbonic acid. In chemistry, the term is sometimes used in place of carboxylation, which refers to the formation of carboxylic acids. In inorganic ch ...

soft drink from

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 ...

Product

The original Almdudler is a sweetened carbonated beverage made of herbal extracts. Almdudler has been called the "national drink of Austria". Its popularity in Austria is second only 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 Atlant ...

. About 80 million litres of the beverage are produced per year. Almdudler is currently sold in original, light (sugar-free), "still" (uncarbonated), and ''g'spritzt'' (mixed with carbonated mineral water) versions. In Austria, a ''

Radler Shandy is beer or cider mixed with a lemon or a lemon-lime flavored beverage. The citrus beverage, often called lemonade, may or may not be carbonated. The proportions of the two ingredients are adjusted to taste but are usually half lemonade ...

'' variety (mixed with

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

), is available as ''Almradler''. In the wine-growing regions of

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

and

Burgenland Burgenland (; hu, Őrvidék; hr, Gradišće; Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland;'' Slovene: ''Gradiščanska'') is the easternmost and least populous state of Austria. It consists of two statutory cities and seven rural districts, with a total of ...

, it is a popular mixer with locally produced

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

and

white wine White wine is a wine that is fermented without skin contact. The colour can be straw-yellow, yellow-green, or yellow-gold. It is produced by the alcoholic fermentation of the non-coloured pulp of grapes, which may have a skin of any colour. ...

History

After three years of development, Almdudler was produced from 1957 by the

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city * Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance * V ...

entrepreneur Erwin Klein (1924–1983). According to the company's website, he derived the name from the then-common phrase ''auf der Alm dudeln'', which means "

yodeling Yodeling (also jodeling) is a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register (or "chest voice") and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. The English word ''yodel'' is derived from the ...

in the (alpine) pasture". The drink was originally created and marketed as an alternative to alcoholic beverages or as a mixer for alcoholic drinks. Klein promoted the popularity of Almdudler through advertising and sponsoring at major sporting events, such as the

1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Bavarian), was a winter multi-sport event which was celebr ...

held in Innsbruck. Since 1973, the Almdudler company only functions as a license supplier. The Austrian family business

Pfanner Hermann Pfanner Getränke GmbH is an Austrian beverage producer. It claims to have produced over 420 million liters in 2010, with more than 80% of the total volume exported to more than 80 countries. Headquartered in Lauterach in Vorarlberg, i ...

and the mineral water company Franken Brunnen have been distribution partners in Germany since 2016, and Stardrinks AG (a subsidiary of

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 Feb ...

Switzerland AG) in Switzerland. Because of the 60th anniversary of the brand in 2017, the American artist

Mel Ramos Melvin John Ramos (July 24, 1935 – October 14, 2018) was an American figurative painter, specializing most often in paintings of female nudes, whose work incorporates elements of realist and abstract art. Born in Sacramento, California, to ...

created a painting with the name "Almdudler’s Fabulous Blonde".

Marketing and distribution

Almdudler is currently bottled in Austria, Germany, Croatia, Belgium, and Switzerland. It is further exported to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Australia, and the United States. In 2017, American figurative painter

created a painting for the brand's 60th anniversary entitled "Almdudler's Fabulous Blonde", which was exhibited in the Vienna Museum of Art History.

Popularity

Nearly 99 percent of all Austrians know the herbal lemonade. Almdudler was ranked 7th in Austria's largest brand study. The so-called Brand Asset Valuator by the

Young & Rubicam VMLY&R is an American marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting, formed from the merger of VML, founded in 1992, and Young & Rubica ...

agency measures brand value from the consumer's point of view, and the 2000 respondents chose Almdudler as the only Austrian beverage brand among the top 10. Over 80 million liters of Almdudler are produced every year; 14 percent (as of 2010) and 20 percent (as of 2014) of total sales are bottled and sold in foreign markets.

References

External links

* {{in lang, de Austrian brands Austrian cuisine Fruit sodas Non-alcoholic drinks Soft drinks Drink brands Austrian drinks