Um Bongo facts for kids
Um Bongo logo since 2005
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| Type | Beverage |
|---|---|
| Owner | Sumol + Compal |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1983 |
| Markets | United Kingdom, Portugal |
| Website | http://www.umbongo.com/ |
Um Bongo is a popular brand of fruit juice drinks. It is known for its tropical flavors. The drinks are made by a company called Sumol + Compal. Um Bongo first appeared in 1983 in the United Kingdom. It was originally made by Nestlé under their Libby's brand. Later, it was also sold in Portugal. Today, Sumol + Compal owns the brand and sells Um Bongo in both countries. The tropical drink includes juices and purees from fruits like apple, lemon, orange, pineapple, passion fruit, mandarin, apricot, guava, and mango.
Contents
The Story of Um Bongo
Um Bongo was first created in 1983. It started in a place called Milnthorpe, in Cumbria, UK. At first, it was sold as part of the Libby's brand. Back then, Nestlé owned Libby's fruit juices. Nestlé then allowed another company, Gerber Foods Soft Drinks Ltd, to make and sell Um Bongo in the UK and Ireland. Gerber packaged the drink at their factory in Somerset.
Changes to Ingredients
In 1986, Libby's made Um Bongo healthier. They took out all artificial colors, sweeteners, and preservatives. Instead, they used natural colors. They also replaced citric acid with lemon juice. However, since 2011, citric acid has been used again in the drink.
Um Bongo Goes to Portugal
Nestlé launched Um Bongo in Portugal in 1988. They even had a Portuguese version of the famous TV advertisement. The slogan there was Um Bongo, O bom sabor da selva, which means "Um Bongo, The great flavor of the jungle." By 2003, a Portuguese company called Compal bought the Um Bongo brand from Nestlé.
In 2009, Compal joined with another company called Sumol. Together, they became Sumol + Compal. In 2010, they launched a new version called Um Bongo 100% Fruit. In 2011, they released a collection of toys called Um Bongo e o bom coração da selva ("Um Bongo and the great heart of the jungle"). In the UK, Gerber Juice Company Limited still packages the drink.
Um Bongo and News Events
In 2013, a politician from the UK Independence Party named Godfrey Bloom made some comments. After his remarks, the Um Bongo website got a lot more visitors. The company quickly said that they had no political connections.
Changes to the UK Recipe
Around 2003 or 2004, the Um Bongo recipe in the UK changed. This happened because parents were worried about the amount of sugar and artificial flavors in kids' drinks. New rules were made to address these concerns. The drink was then called "Um Bongo-100% juice." It only contained bananas, orange, and pineapple. The original recipe had many more fruits, like apple, lemon, passion fruit, mandarin, apricot, guava, and mango. New packaging also came out by 2007. It removed many of the references to the Congo region.
The Original Flavor Returns
After Libby's changed the recipe, many people complained. Because of this, the company decided to bring back the original Um Bongo flavor in 2009. This "Classic" Um Bongo was first called "Um Bongo Tropical." It was sold in new plastic 500 ml bottles and kept in the chilled section of stores. Libby's created a website and social media pages to get more support for the original flavor.
In May 2011, an "Original" flavor was officially launched. It came in 200 ml cartons. The 100% Tropical juice version was later stopped and replaced by this Original flavor. In 2012, an "Orange" flavor was released. A larger 1-liter size was sold starting in 2013.
Famous Advertising
Um Bongo is very famous for its long-running jingle. The song goes, "Um Bongo, Um Bongo, they drink it in the Congo." This jingle has been part of animated television advertisements since 1985.
The song was sung by Tony Jackson. The music and words were created by Andy Blackford. The advertisement itself was made by Oscar Grillo at Klacto Animations. This team was also known for their 1984 Kia-Ora advert.
Other Um Bongo Drinks
Libby's has made two other types of fruit juice drinks since the 1980s.
- Libby's Moonshine: This drink was available until 1992. It used fruits grown closer to home, like strawberries, raspberries, apples, blackberries, and cherries. Its animated adverts had the slogan, "Moonshine, looks pretty weird but it tastes just fine."
- Um Ognob: In 1999, Um Bongo got a sister drink called "Um Ognob." This name is "Bongo" spelled backward. Um Ognob had a mix of apple, banana, apricot, orange, and passion fruit juice with added vitamins. It was stopped in 2003.
