Kas (drink) facts for kids
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| Owner | PepsiCo (1991–pres.) |
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| Introduced | 1956 |
| Markets | Europe |
| Previous owners | El As (1956–92) |
Kas is a popular soft drink brand. It is made by PepsiCo, a big company that makes many drinks and snacks. Kas comes in several yummy flavors. These include grapefruit, orange, lemon, and apple. There is also a special "bitter" flavor made with herbal extracts.
Kas also makes fruit juices called Kasfruit. You can find Kas drinks in countries like Spain, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and France. In the past, it was also sold in Portugal, Brazil, and Argentina during the 1990s. Kas is known as a "flavor segment" drink. This means it's a fruit-flavored drink, often with bubbles.
Contents
The Story of Kas
How Kas Began
The story of Kas started a long time ago, in 1870. A German beer maker named Román Knörr Streiff moved to Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain. He started a beer factory called 'La Esperanza' with his wife's family.
Later, in the 1920s, one of his sons, Román Knörr Ortíz, started his own business. He wanted to make sodas. His company was called 'El As'.
Creating the First Flavored Soda
In 1956, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Luis Knörr Elorza created something new. He mixed soda with orange juice. This was the first flavored soda in Spain! He named it 'Kas'. The 'K' came from his family name, and 'As' was from the old company name. His brother, Javier Knörr Elorza, gave him this idea.
Growing and Expanding
During the 1960s, the Kas company grew a lot. They opened new factories across Spain. They also launched new products. One was Kascol, a cola drink. Another was 'BitterKas', which became very popular.
For many years, Kas also supported a cycling team. They even sponsored the Spain national football team during the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
Joining PepsiCo
In 1992, a huge company called Pepsi bought Kas. After that, Kas started making diet soft drinks and juices. Pepsi helped sell Kas products in Spain. Around the world, Pepsi often used its Mirinda brand for similar drinks.
Kas Advertising Campaigns
The "24 Horas Kas" Campaign
In the mid-1990s, Kas had a famous advertising campaign called "24 Horas Kas" (24 Hours Kas). It had a very catchy song. The song was based on "Dame Más" (Give Me More) by Alex de la Nuez. This song was a cover of "Give It Up" by the Steve Miller Band. The campaign was very memorable.
Kas in Mexico
In 1994, Coca-Cola launched a grapefruit-flavored drink called Fresca in Mexico. To compete, Pepsi-Cola de Mexico launched Kas grapefruit there. The "24 Horas Kas" campaign from Spain was used in Mexico too. The song "Dame Mas" was sung by the Argentine pop group The Sacados. It became very popular in Mexico.
The launch also included many TV and radio ads. There were also billboards and tasting events in bars and clubs. This helped promote Kas as a drink to mix with tequila. In 2006, the brand in Mexico was renamed Kas Mas.
Kas Around the World
Popularity in France and the Dominican Republic
In France, Kas became popular in the southwestern part of the country. People often mix it with gin or vodka there. In the Dominican Republic, Kas was introduced by Supermercados Iberia.
Kas in Brazil
In the mid-1990s, Kas tried to enter the Brazilian market. Brazil has many soft drink brands made from guarana extract. So, Kas introduced several guarana-flavored drinks. These included guarana by itself, or mixed with acerola, maracuja, and peach. However, production stopped soon after the launch. The orange, lemon, and apple flavors of Kas were never sold in Brazil.
See also
In Spanish: Kas para niños
