Vita Cola is a

cola Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imi ...

beverage produced in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. 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 Mineral ...

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...

, 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 German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

. 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 (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the gover ...

and

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political 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. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its ...

in 1989, Vita Cola's business quickly collapsed as Western cola brands took its place. However, with the advent of

Ostalgie In German culture, ''Ostalgie'' () is nostalgia for aspects of life in Communist East Germany. It is a portmanteau of the German words '' Ost'' (east) and '' Nostalgie'' (nostalgia). Its anglicised equivalent, ostalgia (rhyming with "nostalgia ...

(nostalgia among

East Germans East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

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 Schmalkalden () is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in the southwest of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is on the southern slope of the Thuringian Forest at the Schmalkalde river, a tributary to the Werra. , the town had a p ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

, 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-Vorpommern. The club is also called as "the cog" because of its club crest. They have emerged as one of the most successful clubs from the forme ...

, a soccer club from

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...

. Vita Cola has since then surpassed

Pepsi Cola Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...

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 Club Cola is a German cola soft drink. Originally manufactured at the request of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany and other governmental organizations, Club Cola was created in order for East Germany to have its own cola soft drink that w ...

Ingredients

Natural mineral water, Sugar, Carbonic acid, Acidulants (

E270 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 ...

, citric acid, phosphate), Dye

E150 Caramel color or caramel coloring is a water-soluble food coloring. It is made by heat treatment of carbohydrates (sugars), in general in the presence of acids, alkalis, or salts, in a process called caramelization. It is more fully oxidized th ...

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

History and popularity

Ingredients

See also

References

External links