Who would have thought that the first Fanta, the famous orange soda made by Coca-Cola, had nothing to do with oranges and instead, was made from leftovers, moreover, it was born in WWII Germany when American business couldn’t work in enemy territories.
Fanta was a response to the scarcity of foods and the restrains for American business in Germany at that time. Later, it was rescued, reformulated, and turned into one of the classic Coca-Cola’s soft drinks.
Fanta, a German soda
Before WWII, Coca-Cola was one of the fast-growing businesses in Europe and, of course, Germany. Its cola-flavored soda was a total hit, and in this country, it managed to become a well-accepted beverage despite the political ambiance and the rise of the national socialist german party.
However, when WWII was officially declared, American businesses were not allowed to function properly. Companies like IBM or General Motors had to be pulled out. But one remained the german chapter of Coca-Cola led by Max Keith, a true believer of the brand.
In order to make the company continue running, he came up with a recipe of a fruit-flavored beverage that could fill the void the cola soda left, mainly because when WWII began, Coca-Cola HQ in Atlanta halted the export of Coca-Cola’s 7X flavoring, or in other words, its secret formula for the syrup.
What was Fanta made of?
Max Keith wanted to continue running the company, so he decided to adapt to the new environment and create a beverage that had a good flavor but with limited wartime resources.
That is how the recipe for Fanta was made with leftover apple fibers, mash from cider presses, beet sugar, and whey, the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained during cheese production.
To name his new creation, Keith put his sales team to work in a new. Joe Knipp, a salesman, pitched the name “Fanta” as a reference to the German word for “fantasy”.
Fanta was a success in wartime Germany
The new beverage became almost an instant hit but not because of its delicious flavor, rather because it was used to bake or cook and sweeten things thanks to its high sugar content during a food rationing period.
When the U.S finally defeated Germany at the end of WWII, executives in Atlanta recognized Keith’s job to maintain the company afloat amidst the turbulence and named him Coca-Cola director in Europe.
As for his creation, it was reformulated with a new recipe. In April 1955, Coca-Cola reintroduced Fanta but this time, with an orange flavor. The name was left unchanged mainly because it already had an impact on the market.
The first place to reintroduce Fanta, surprisingly, was not Germany but Italy; and by 1958 it was launched in the U.S.
Today is one of the most iconic beverages from the company and is sold worldwide, despite the fact that its origin lies in WWII.
