by The world’s most popular orange drink has its unlikely origin in World War II Germany: did the Nazi’s invent Fanta?
Soft drink has a surprisingly long history. As far back as the Middle Ages, non-alcoholic drinks flavoured with fruit syrup, honey and sugar were popular throughout Europe.
Even carbonated drinks are hundreds of years old. The process of carbonating water to produce fizzy bubbles was developed in the 1760s, and added to drinks shortly afterwards.
The first recognisable, modern style soft drink came at the end of that century, when Johann Jacob Schweppe began mass producing carbonated mineral water in Geneva.
In the 1800s, ‘Schweppes’ added lemonade and ginger beer flavours, and expanded across Europe.
Soft drinks, often called ‘soda water’ or ‘soda’ in the US, jumped to America around the same time. Soda fountains were shops that mixed drinks for customers to consume on the premises, and these became very popular.
A shortage of high quality glass meant bottled drinks caught on later, in the second half of the 19th century. ‘Dr Pepper’, first sold in America in 1845, was the first bottled soda that found a mass market.
Coca-Cola was invented in Atlanta, in 1886, by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton. Pemberton envisioned it as a kind of health supplement; made from coca leaves, kola nuts, sugar, and a secret combination of flavourings, he initially marketed it as a nerve tonic and headache remedy.
The name and distinctive logo were both supplied by Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Robinson.
Coca-Cola was sold at local soda fountains, and while its health benefits were minimal, it’s distinctive flavour made it popular.
‘Coke’ caught on rapidly, and by 1894 it was being mass produced in its first bottling plant; by the end of the century, it was one of the most popular drinks in the United States.
In the 20th century, Coke established itself as the premier soft drink in America. But it remained a largely US phenomenon; attempts by the company to expand overseas were met with indifferent sales.
Among the few exceptions, Germany.
American culture was popular in post-World War I Germany. While America had been among the powers that had defeated the Germans, they were not a traditional rival like France or England.
America was rich and successful, glamourous and powerful. American films and music found a large audience in the Weimar Republic, and American consumer goods were highly sought after.
Coke, priced at a few cents a bottle, was an easy way for people to enjoy a slice of American glitz.
Sales of Coke grew steadily throughout the 1920s, and continued to do so, after the Nazis came to power in 1933. By 1939, on the eve of World War II, the company had 43 bottling plants in Germany, and 600 local distributors.
On 1 September 1939, German troops crossed the border into Poland. Great Britain and France demanded they leave, and declared war on Germany two days later when they did not.
Other countries joined on either side, the Second World War had begun.
Great Britain, with a large and experienced navy, blockaded Germany economically. A quarantine was established, to prevent the import of critical goods by the Nazis.
One impact of this was the disruption of Coca-Cola production.
As the ingredients of Coke were a closely guarded secret, overseas manufacture was done via a syrup. The syrup was made in America, and then exported for use in other countries.
But the British blockade meant an end to imports; by 1940, the extensive German Coke operation had run out.
Head of German Coca-Cola at this time was local executive Max Keith. While Keith was German born he was politically neutral, without any real ties to the Nazi Party.
His primary loyalty was to the Coca-Cola head office, in America.
The German government now charged Keith with finding a way to keep the local operation running. If they could not produce Coke, perhaps they could make something else.
Thousands of people were employed by the company in Germany, its closure would have had a significant economic impact. It was also thought that maintaining soft drink production would help keep morale high, as the privations of war began to bite.
‘With no means of getting ingredients, Keith stopped making Coca-Cola and began marketing an entirely new soft drink he called Fanta, a light-colored beverage that resembled ginger ale.’
– Frederick Allen, ‘Secret Formula’
Fanta would be like the soft-drink equivalent of party punch: a new drink created by mixing odds and ends together.
The initial basis of the drink was apple waste, left over from cider making. Different fruit offcuts would be added and removed, depending on what was available.
Another unlikely addition was whey, a watery by-product of cheese making.
This assortment of ingredients was mixed together and sweetened with saccharin (sugar was also in short supply), producing a light brown drink with a mild flavour. To name the new product, Keith turned to his staff for ideas.
Reportedly he told them to ‘let their fantasies run wild’; veteran salesman Joe Knipp then suggested the product be called, ‘Fanta’.
Production began in 1940, with the drink appearing in dark brown, ribbed bottles. The label was plain orange, although oranges were not involved in any other capacity.
Despite its shortcomings, Fanta found a market with a captive audience denied most comforts. In 1943, the peak of its production, 3 million cases were sold.
As the war turned against Germany, its ingredients and production were altered. When artificial sweeteners were no longer available, beet sugar was substituted; as the allies bombed Germany’s industrial centres, production was shifted to rural factories and even barns.
Many people who bought the product did not even drink it; a desperate population also used it to add flavour to soups and stews.
‘Fanta was made from the leftovers of the leftovers. I don’t imagine it tasted very good.’
– Mark Prendergrast, ‘For God, Country, and Coc-Cola’
Unable to communicate with head office, Keith oversaw Fanta with an eye to the future.
Profits were carefully shepherded, and largely retained. And much of the company’s extensive infrastructure, its plant and bottling equipment, would survive the war.
As the liberating American troops rode into Germany in 1945, the legend is that they found Keith in a half-bombed plant still bottling Fanta.
After the war, Keith would transfer the profits and equipment to the parent company, ensuring Coke would be able to resume operations in Europe faster than most allied companies. The Fanta brand then went dormant.
It would be revived in 1955, in Italy.
That summer, farmers around Naples produced a surplus of oranges that they were not able sell. Inspired by other orange flavoured soft drinks that had recently launched, local drinks company Società Napoletana Imbottigliamento Bevande Gassate (SNIBEG) bought the oranges cheaply, to produce their own version.
Closely allied with Germany during the war, Fanta had been well known in Italy. SNIBEG revived the name, but now used it to sell a sweet, orange flavoured beverage. They also updated the logo, to include a representation of three oranges.
It was an immediate hit and became popular throughout Europe. Coca-Cola bought the Fanta brand in 1960 and added its new incarnation to its suite of products.
But Coke kept Fanta largely away from America at first, fearing it would dent sales of its flagship product. It continued to sell well in Europe, and also became successful in Latin America, where fruit flavoured drinks were popular.
The growing Hispanic population in the US would eventually force Coke to promote it more widely, and it began to increase market share from the 1980s onward. 130 million bottles of Fanta are now sold each year, in 200 countries.
In 2015, to celebrate the drink’s 75th anniversary, in Germany Coke introduced a limited edition that mimicked the original version’s look and flavour, right down to the inclusion of whey in the ingredients.
It was supported by an advertising campaign, where the copy indicated the drink would produce ‘the feeling of the Good Old Times’. Howls of outrage erupted (you can watch the ad, here).
Criticised for appearing to be pro-Nazi, both the ad and the revived drink were shortly discontinued.
