Vita Cola
Vita Cola is a German cola brand, which was founded in 1958 trademarked. The Cola was bottled before the turn of many drinks companies in the GDR and put on the market. Since 1994, Vita Cola is again commercially available, and thus also in the old federal states.
Historical development
The East German government called in the second five-year plan to improve the supply of the population with non-alcoholic beverages. Subsequently, the Ministry of Food Industry commissioned the Chemical Factory Miltitz with the development of a cola beverage, which should correspond to the Coca-Cola North America.
As a father of Vita -Cola recipe is Hans tin, Head of essences, the Chemical Factory Miltitz. He created the still to this day unaltered taste of the drink by combining a variety of essential oils such as citrus oil, vanilla, cola nuts, caffeine and vitamin C.
In October 1958, the first kilogram of the raw material to the National Brewery Leipzig were (later VEB Sachsenbräu ) delivered. The trademark for the final product, the brewery announced in November 1958 by the Office for Inventions and Patents of the GDR.
The drink was very well received in the first production year 1958 by the population, which led to a tenfold increase in the demand of the originally planned 180 kg ascorbic acid for the production of the raw material, which are covered by the pharmaceutical industry only by providing additional 350 kg per quarter could. The Cola could first be produced by only a few breweries in the Republic, beginning with Lauchhammer, Wernigerode, the tourist area of Binz ( Rügen), Jena, Sangerhausen, Dresden and Muskau.
Already in 1960 were 106 farms the production permit. Since each GDR brewery marketed the cola with other label, the appearance was on the market, however, very different. The content, however, remained always the same.
After production ceased with the fall or continued diffuse from small breweries under various names, took over in 1994 for Brau & Brunnen Group subsidiary Thuringian Forest source rock Brunnen GmbH brand. August 1, 2005 sold Brau & Brunnen strategic reasons this and other companies, and therefore the brand Vita -Cola, Margon and Glashäger to the Hessian Hassia mineral springs in Bad Vilbel. This also took over the production facility of the Thuringian Forest in Schmalkalden source and executes the brand Vita -Cola on.
Recipe and taste
In 1967, almost ten years after the launch of Vita -Cola, came up with the club -Cola, the second major DDR cola on the market, which was a decidedly soft and aromatic flavor, which was based on the western cola brands, but was independently.
The bitter flavor of Vita -Cola remained very popular in East Germany, but was rejected by the turn of the West German consumers as medicine -like, scratchy or unusual. Vita Cola is still made according to the scheme in the chemical factory Miltitz original recipe. The original nature-identical flavoring substances were merely replaced with natural flavors. The raw material for the production Cola referring today from Miltitz. However, the Cola differs still quite different from other places Cola because Vita -Cola citric acid and natural citrus oils containing different from artificial lemon flavors.
In April 2007, a sugar-free light version and a version Black was put on the market ( in the meantime in Pur renamed). The latter does not contain citrus oils and is suitable for cocktail mixing with non- lemony alcoholic beverages, as for the Cuba Libre.
After Vita Cola Black its market share in 2008 could do more than doubled and also Vita Cola Original Sugar-free since launch has experienced above-average growth of 75 %, extended to the range of products on January 1, 2009, at Vita Cola Black Sugar-free, but after a short time due to low demand was taken back from the range.
In November 2009 came with Vita Cola Mix a fifth variety on the market. It is a mixture of Vita Cola Black and orange soda (comparable with its competitors like Mezzo Mix, Schwip Schwap or specifications ).
After a sales record in 2009, the product range was expanded again in April 2010: With Vita Limo Orange and lemon soda Vita Vita Cola sells for the first time in its 50 -year brand history and lemonade drinks. The soft drinks contain a high proportion of fruit juice. Vita Limo Orange contains 5% orange juice and lemon soda Vita 3% lemon juice. Vita Lemon soda is the first clear lemonade with fruit juice on the East German market; other lemon sodas usually contain exclusively natural flavoring.
Market shares today
In East Germany, the brand holds 17.2 % market share 2nd place behind Coca -Cola and Pepsi before. The trading house brands have in entirety from a value higher than Vita- Cola, which is not sold in some discount department stores. The rising market shares entered after the introduction of a new advertising campaign and a new design of bottle and box. The coke is shipped in an individual container.
In Thuringia Vita Cola is today with 39.1 % market share leader in the cola brands, even long before Coca -Cola. Thuringia is one of the few regions in the world where a local cola brand is the market leader.
In West Germany the full product range is marketed only in the delivery area of the mineral products of the Thuringian forest source. The 1 -liter bottle crates are delivered in the entire country to order and led there by some beverage distributors and markets with greater Beverage Department.
The recipe has been licensed three times to other food manufacturers to produce foods with the flavor Vita Cola. In 2002 Katjes produced fruit gums with Vita -Cola taste, however, have been proven to be a flop and taken off the market after a few months. In the years 2003 and 2004, the now insolvent Rhön gold dairy produced a jello with the name Vita Cola Fresh ' n Cool. In 2011, Vita Cola ice was produced by the R & R GmbH, which was sold in many supermarkets with Vita -Cola range.
Production sites
The lemonade base was centrally produced in the GDR in the Chemical Works Miltitz and nationally delivered to breweries and beverage combines all walks of life, including to Altenburg, Arnstadt, bathroom Koestritz, Bad Muskau, Berlin, Eisenach, forestry / L., Gera, Greifswald, Greiz, Kirchremda, Chemnitz, Leipzig, Lobenstein, Neudietendorf, Neunspringe ( Worbis ), Nordhausen, Olbernhau, Potsdam, Reichenbach (Vogtland), Saalfeld, Schmalkalden, Torgau, Watzdorf, Weimar, Zittau and Zwickau.
Today, Vita Cola is produced in Schmalkalden, Bad Doberan and in Lichtenau bottled water.
Design now and then
The design of the PET bottle is inspired by the shape of the well-known GDR deposit bottle made of glass ( retro look ), in the then all sodas and showers were expelled, but has a larger volume capacity of one liter and an embossed into the material inscription of brand. The classic red-green color of the label and the lettering was retained. Vita Cola will also continue to be sold in returnable glass bottles ( German Fountain). While at first their own bottle design was used only for the liter bottle, capacities of 0.5 liters and 1.5 liters were filled into standard bottles. Since the beginning of 2008 bottles are produced in their own design and marketed respectively in disposable and reusable bottles for these sizes. The multi - variations in these quantities are likewise base to have in the box. For the catering area 0.2 liter glass bottles are used in a completely different style.