Fanta

Fanta (/ˈfæntə/) is an American-owned brand of fruit-

Fanta
flavored carbonated soft drinks created by Coca-Cola
Deutschland under the leadership of German
businessman Max Keith. There are over 200 flavors
worldwide. Fanta originated in Germany as a Coca-
Cola alternative in 1941 due to the American trade
embargo of Nazi Germany which affected the
availability of Coca-Cola ingredients. Fanta soon
dominated the German market with three million cases
sold in 1943. The current formulation of Fanta, with
orange flavor, was developed in Italy in 1955.

History

Wartime product

An Orange Fanta produced in Mexico

Manufacturer The Coca-Cola Company
Country of origin Germany (beverage)
Italy (orange version)
Fanta Klassik ("classic") was
sold in Germany in 2015, Algeria (strawberry
marking the 75th version)
anniversary of the drink. Brazil (grape and guaraná
version)
During the Second World War, Germany was under a Costa Rica (Colita version)
United States trade embargo, the British naval Sri Lanka (Portello version)
United Kingdom (fruit twist
blockade and the import of Coca-Cola syrup was
version) (also known as
prohibited.[2][3] To circumvent this, Max Keith, the
exotic in Scandinavian
head of Coca-Cola Deutschland (Coca-Cola GmbH),
countries)
decided to create a new product for the German
market, using only ingredients available in Germany at Introduced 1941[1]
 the time, including Variants See International
sugar beet, whey (a availability
cheese byproduct), and Related products Royal Tru, Sunkist, Crush,
apple pomace. He later Slice, Hit, Mirinda, Tango,
described them as the Bluna, Lilt.
"leftovers of
[2][4] Website fanta.com (http://fanta.co
leftovers". The
m)
name was the result of
a brainstorming
session, which started with Keith's exhorting his team to "use their
imagination" (Fantasie in German), to which one of his salesmen, Joe
Knipp, retorted "Fanta!".[4]

The German plant had been cut off from Coca-Cola headquarters
A can of zero sugar Fanta
following America's entry into the war after the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor in 1941. After the war, the Coca-Cola Company regained control
of the plant, formula, and the trademarks to the new Fanta product—as well as the plant profits made
during the war.[2][4]

In 1943, 3 million cases of Fanta were sold in Germany. Many bottles were not consumed as a beverage
but used as a cooking ingredient to add sweetness and flavor to soups and stews, as sugar was severely
rationed.[2][4]

During the war, the Dutch Coca-Cola plant in Amsterdam (N.V. Nederlandse Coca-Cola Maatschappij)
suffered the same difficulties as the German Coca-Cola plant. Keith put the Fanta brand at the disposal of
the Dutch Coca-Cola plant, of which he had been appointed the official caretaker. Dutch Fanta had a
different recipe from German Fanta, using elderberries as a main ingredients.[5]

Fanta production was discontinued in 1949. In 1955, in Naples, Italy, production of a new formulation
with oranges began.[6]

Modern product
Following the launch of several drinks by Pepsi-Cola in the 1950s,
Società Napoletana Imbottigliamento Bevande Gassate (SNIBEG)
relaunched Fanta in 1955 with a different formulation. In 1960
Coca-Cola bought the brand, distributing it worldwide. The drink
was heavily marketed in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America,
although it did not become widely available in the United States
until the 1960s because the company feared it would undermine
the strong market position of their flagship cola.[7] Even then, its
availability was limited especially after the 1980s due to sister
brand Minute Maid selling similar products under its own name. Logo used before re-branding in
2016. This logo was first introduced
In 2001, Fanta received a national push due to the U.S.'s growing
in 2008, shown here is the 2010
Hispanic population and the drink's proven popularity in Latin version. However, it was still used in
America.[8] some countries until 2023.
The modern-day orange Fanta was first produced in Naples, Italy
in 1955 by a local bottling plant using locally sourced
oranges.[9][10][11] The design of the classic annulated bottle comes
from these years.

Marketing
Logo used in some countries until
75th anniversary version 2023

In February 2015, a 75th-anniversary version of Fanta was

released in Germany. Packaged in glass bottles evoking the original design
and with an authentic original wartime flavor including 30% whey and
pomace, it is described on the packaging as "less sweet" and a German
original. An associated television ad referenced the history of the drink and
said the Coca-Cola company wanted to bring back "the feeling of the Good
Old Times" which was interpreted by many to mean Nazi rule. The ad was
subsequently replaced.[13][3]

Logo history
Fanta Shokata with
labels upside down as
part of the "turn the
world upside down" ad
campaign[12]

2010–2023 2016–2023 2023–present

International availability
The Orange flavor recipe outside the US contains orange juice,[14] while the American version does
not.[15]

In Mexico, Fanta is made with sugar whereas the US version uses high fructose corn syrup. In the UK,
the sugar content was reduced in 2017 to 4.6g per 100ml in the standard version (non-sugar free) to
ensure that the product was below the 5g that would incur the country's sugary drink tax. This was a third
lower than the recipe used before 2016, as some of the sugar was replaced by sweeteners.[16]

In Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Poland, Serbia, Romania, Sweden, and some other
European countries, there is Fanta Shokata (a wordplay on "soc" which means both "elderberry" and
"shock" in Romanian) based on an elderflower blossom extract drink. In Russia, however, "Shokata" is
the rebranding of Fanta Citrus, which is more like a common lemonade. This version of the drink is
clear, like ordinary lemonade, while the bottle is blue-colored.[17]

In early February 2023, The Coca Cola Company announced that Lilt (a pineapple and grapefruit soft
drink sold in countries such as the UK and the Republic of Ireland) would be rebranded as Fanta
Pineapple and Grapefruit flavor on 14 February 2023.[18]

In August 2024, to promote the film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the limited edition "Haunted Apple" flavor
was released.[19]

See also
Fanta cake
Orange drink
Orangina

References
1. Oord, Christian (February 6, 2019). "Was Fanta Really Invented in Germany?" (https://www.
warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/was-the-soda-drink-fanta.html). warhistoryonline.com.
2. Mikkelson, Barbara (April 29, 2011). "The Reich Stuff?" (http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/fa
nta.asp). Snopes. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
3. Snyder, Benjamin (March 3, 2015). "Coke pulls Fanta ad over Nazi controversy" (http://fortu
ne.com/2015/03/03/coke-fanta-ad/). Fortune. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
4. Pendergrast, Mark (1993). For God, Country and Coca-Cola: The Unauthorized History of
the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes it. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons. ISBN 9780684193472.
5. "Nederlandse oorlogs-Fanta | Peter Zwaal" (https://peterzwaal.nl/nederlandse-oorlogs-fant
a/).
6. Petit, Zachary. "Exclusive: Fanta's new logo ditches the fruit, just like its soda" (https://www.f
astcompany.com/90875506/exclusive-fantas-new-logo-ditches-the-fruit-just-like-its-soda).
Fast Company. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
7. "Why do foreigners like Fanta so much" (http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/ex
plainer/2010/08/why_do_foreigners_like_fanta_so_much.html). Slate. August 2010.
8. "Remember Fanta? : Business World | the Journal Record" (https://journalrecord.com/2002/
03/06/remember-fanta-business-world/). March 6, 2002.
9. "How Fanta was invented in Nazi Germany to quench people's thirst for Coke" (https://www.t
helocal.de/20170523/fanta-how-the-nazi-era-drink-became-the-world-famous-brand).
www.thelocal.de. May 23, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
10. "Sparkling drinks: Fanta - Sibeg" (https://web.archive.org/web/20221210010059/https://ww
w.sibeg.it/en/prodotti/sparkling-drinks/fanta.html). www.sibeg.it. Archived from the original (ht
tps://www.sibeg.it/en/prodotti/sparkling-drinks/fanta.html) on December 10, 2022. Retrieved
March 17, 2019.
11. "Fanta e arancia, un matrimonio all'italiana" (https://web.archive.org/web/20190717114904/
https://www.coca-colaitalia.it/storie/fanta-e-arancia-un-matrimonio-allitaliana). The Coca-
Cola Company (in Italian). Archived from the original (https://www.coca-colaitalia.it/storie/fan
ta-e-arancia-un-matrimonio-allitaliana) on July 17, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
12. "UM fanta shokata" (https://web.archive.org/web/20141127124851/http://www.universalmedi
a.rs/en/caseFanta.html). Universal Media. Archived from the original (http://www.universalm
edia.rs/en/caseFanta.html) on November 27, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
13. "Coca-Cola pulls German Fanta ad over Nazi controversy" (https://www.aol.co.uk/2015/03/0
5/coca-cola-pulls-german-fanta-ad-over-nazi-controversy/). AOL Money. March 5, 2015.
14. "Fanta Orange" (https://www.coca-cola.ca/brands/fanta/fanta-orange). Retrieved July 31,
2018.
15. "Fanta Orange - SmartLabel™" (https://web.archive.org/web/20180729112045/http://smartla
bel.coca-colaproductfacts.com/servlet.049000014235.html). smartlabel.coca-
colaproductfacts.com. Archived from the original (http://smartlabel.coca-colaproductfacts.co
m/servlet.049000014235.html) on July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
16. "Fanta changes recipe to swerve sugar tax as part of 'biggest shakeup in brand's history' " (h
ttps://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/fanta-changes-recipe-swerve-sugar-tax-part-biggest-s
hakeup-brands-history/1428378).
17. "В России появился новый вкус Fanta Shokata Цитрус" (https://www.coca-cola.ru/about-u
s/press-releases/fanta-shokata-citrus-launch).
18. "Lilt drink brand to be scrapped and renamed Fanta" (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-
64629080). www.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
19. "Fanta Haunted Apple!" (https://www.reddit.com/r/Soda/comments/1egwarq/fanta_haunted_
apple/). Retrieved October 4, 2024.

External links
Official website (http://fanta.com)
"Why Coca-Cola Invented Fanta In Nazi Germany" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc5
QU-DCtUE). Business Insider. November 8, 2019. Archived (https://ghostarchive.org/varchiv
e/youtube/20211221/bc5QU-DCtUE) from the original on December 21, 2021.
"Coca Cola and the war" (http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-food/coca_cola.htm). Digger
History.
"How Fanta was invented in Nazi Germnay to quench people's thirst for Coke" Julius
Haswell (https://www.tidridge.com/uploads/3/8/4/1/3841927/fanta.pdf)

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