Afri Cola facts for kids
1 liter plastic Afri-Cola bottle, alongside a 0.2-liter bar glass
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| Type | Cola |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Introduced | 1931 |
| Related products | Bluna |
| Website | https://afri.de/ |
Afri Cola is a popular cola drink made in Germany. It was first registered as a brand in 1931 by a company called F. Blumhoffer Nachfolger GmbH. This company also made Bluna, a well-known orange soda. Today, Afri Cola is owned by Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG. Afri Cola used to be one of Germany's top cola brands. However, it became less popular after the 1960s.
Contents
The Story of Afri Cola
How Afri Cola Started
Afri Cola was officially registered in 1931. The company that created it was F. Blumhoffer Nachfolger GmbH. This company was founded in 1864 in a German city called Cologne.
Growing Popularity After the War
In 1932, a person named Karl Flach visited the United States. He returned with an idea to create a German cola similar to Coca-Cola. After the Second World War, Afri Cola became very popular in Germany. It was seen as a symbol of West Germany's quick economic growth.
In 1952, the company launched another drink called Bluna. This was an orange soda, much like Fanta. Bluna also became a big hit with customers.
Facing Competition and New Ideas
By the 1960s, Afri Cola faced tough competition. Drinks like Coca-Cola and Pepsi started to take over the German market. To make Afri Cola seem new and exciting, the company hired a designer named Charles Wilp. He created a bold and attention-grabbing advertising campaign. This helped Afri Cola fit into Germany's modern culture.
Changes in Ownership and Recipe
Afri Cola's market share continued to shrink in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1998, a German drink company called Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG bought Afri Cola and Bluna.
This new owner changed Afri Cola's recipe in 1998. The taste was different from the original. Also, the amount of caffeine was lowered. Before 1998, it had 250 milligrams of caffeine per liter. This was higher than most colas. The new recipe had less than 150 milligrams per liter. This meant the company did not need to list caffeine on the bottle.
However, many people did not like the new taste. So, the recipe was changed again in 2005. The caffeine content was increased to about 200 milligrams per liter. Caffeine was then listed on the label again. This change was still not successful enough. Finally, on April 1, 2006, the company went back to the original recipe. This meant the caffeine content was once again 250 milligrams per liter.
Recent Times
Afri Cola was the only soda served at the G8 summit 2007 in Heiligendamm. In 2009, there was a legal discussion about the name "Afri." Some thought it might make people believe the drink came from Africa.
Since then, Afri Cola has slowly gained back some of its market share.
Where You Can Find Afri Cola
Afri Cola in the United States
In the mid-1990s, a U.S. company called Real Soda LLC began bringing Afri Cola to the United States. It was mostly sold in the Seattle area. At that time, it was advertised as having the "highest caffeine content allowed by law." It competed with other high-caffeine colas like Jolt Cola.
In the late 1990s, you could find Afri Cola in many stores in Seattle. It was also available in some cafes in Minneapolis. For a short time, it was sold at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. You could also find it at the University of Rhode Island and the University of Michigan. In the early 2000s, it was sold at the Reed College bookstore.
Afri Cola was brought back to the U.S. in May 2017. It became available on the West Coast and in the New York area. It is sold in the same classic glass bottle, holding 330 milliliters.
Afri Cola Around the World
Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG also sends Afri Cola to other countries. These include Austria, France, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. In the 1980s, Afri Cola was also sold in Nigeria.
Afri Cola in Books
Afri Cola is mentioned in a detective novel by Volker Kutscher. The book is called The March Fallen and takes place in 1933 in Berlin and Cologne.
More About Cola Drinks
- Premium-Cola (This cola is based on the original Afri Cola recipe.)
See also
In Spanish: Afri-Cola para niños
