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 soft drink made in Germany. It was first created in 1931 by a company called F. Blumhoffer Nachfolger GmbH. This company also made Bluna, which is an orange soft drink. Today, the Afri Cola brand belongs to a company called Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG. Afri Cola was once one of the most popular cola brands in Germany. However, it has faced strong competition since the 1960s.
Contents
History of Afri Cola
Afri-Cola was officially registered in 1931. It was created by F. Blumhoffer Nachfolger GmbH, a company based in Cologne, Germany. This company had been around since 1864.
In 1932, Karl Flach visited the USA. He returned with the idea to make 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 economic recovery, known as the "Wirtschaftswunder."
In 1952, the company launched Bluna. This was an orange soft drink, much like Fanta. Bluna also became a big hit with customers. However, in the 1960s, Afri-Cola started to lose its market share. It faced tough competition from big brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
To make the brand seem more modern, the company hired a designer named Charles Wilp. He created a marketing campaign that got a lot of attention. This campaign helped Afri-Cola connect with Germany's new generation.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Afri-Cola's market share continued to shrink. In 1998, a German beverage company, Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG, bought all the rights to Afri-Cola and Bluna.
Changes to the Recipe
When Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG took over in 1998, they changed Afri-Cola's recipe. The new taste was different from the original. Also, before 1998, Afri-Cola had a high amount of caffeine (250 mg/L). This was more than most colas. The new recipe had less caffeine (below 150 mg/L). This meant they didn't have to list caffeine on the bottle.
However, many people did not like the new recipe. It was similar to when Coca-Cola tried its "New Coke." So, the company changed the mixture again. In 2005, they tried to make it taste more like the original. They also increased the caffeine content to about 200 mg/L. Caffeine was then listed as an ingredient again.
This new mixture 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 mg/L.
In 2007, 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 was made in Africa. Since then, Afri-Cola has slowly started to gain more customers.
Where to Find Afri Cola
Afri Cola is mostly known in Germany, but it is also available in other countries.
In the mid-1990s, a U.S. company called Real Soda LLC started bringing Afri Cola into the United States. It was mainly 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 it in many stores in Seattle. It was also available in some cafes in Minneapolis. For a short time, it was sold at some universities, including Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Michigan.
Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG, the current owner, also exports Afri-Cola. You can find it in countries like Austria, France, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.
In May 2017, Afri Cola was relaunched in the U.S. on the West Coast and in the New York area. It is imported by Classic Beverage Imports. The U.S. version uses the original high-caffeine recipe. It comes in a 330 ml version of the famous Afri Cola glass bottle.
Afri Cola in Books
Afri Cola is mentioned in a detective novel by Volker Kutscher. The book is called Märzgefallene and was published in 2014. The story takes place in 1933 in Berlin and Cologne. The English translation of the book is titled The March Fallen.
See Also
In Spanish: Afri-Cola para niños
- Premium-Cola (based on original Afri Cola recipe)
