Fanta Was Created As A Drink For Nazi Germany

It would be an incomplete discourse of diabolical food corporations if we omitted to discuss the Coca-Cola company. While this corporation has managed to make its drinks some of the most marketed products in the world, it is also highly notorious for its war on health and nutrition. However, also revealing is the history of the corporation, specifically regarding its commencement and early associations and dealings.
Today, we will address 3 questions, namely: (1) How was the Coca-Cola company established? (2) What was the relationship between the Coca-cola company and Nazi Germany? And (3) What diabolical tactics have been employed by the coca-cola company to ensure the consumption of its products?
And now onto our first question, which is: How was the Coca-cola company established? Well, Asa G. Candler was the founder of  “The Coca-Cola Company” in 1892. He managed to purchase the rights to use the formula, but not the name “Coca-Cola”. So, at first, the drink by Candler was called “Yum Yum” and “Koke”.
John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Georgia, was the creator of Coca-Cola formula who died in 1888. A fact that I believe many of us came to know is that as part of the original recipe, coca-cola actually contained cocaine, in the form of an extract of the coca leaf, which inspired the “Coca” part of the beverage’s name. You learn about the coca plant, when especially looking at the history of ancient civilisations like the Aztecs and the Mayans, among others. The reason for the inclusion of cocaine in the original coca-cola recipe is that Pemberton was wounded in the civil war, as part of the Confederate Army, and like many others became addicted to morphine while trying to relieve the pain. And so, he created this non-alcoholic drink to help diminish the pain and his addiction. John Pemberton (who made the Coca Cola original drink) further gave his son Charles the right to the name “Coca-Cola”.
Well, Charles Pemberton was, then, a thorn in Candler’s side. Then, Pemberton died mysteriously in 1894. It is widely known that Candler was pleased that Charles was out of the way. The whole saga of obtaining the total rights to the formula and Coca-Cola name, however, is couched in vagaries and perhaps criminal behavior and questionable legal tactics, which led to a general question on whether Charles Pemberton actually commit suicide? The question remains unanswered. BUT…it is known, however, that in 1910, Asa Candler had all the older records of the company destroyed when it moved into a larger building. Only the official records of the title were left intact. He did this in spite of the objections of his nephew.
FANTA WAS CREATED AS A DRINK FOR NAZI GERMANY
This brings us to our second question being: What was the relationship between the Coca-cola company and Nazi Germany? Now, The soft drink Fanta was invented by Coca-Cola, an American company, inside of Nazi Germany during World War II. Developed at the height of the Third Reich, the new soda ensured the brand’s continued popularity. Fanta became a point of nationalistic pride and was consumed by the German public, from the Fraus cooking at home to the highest officials of the Nazi party.
The drink was technically fruit-flavored, but limited wartime resources made that descriptor not wholly accurate. Its ingredients were less than appetizing: leftover apple fibers, mash from cider presses, and whey, a cheese by-product. The author of For God, Country, and Coca-Cola, being Mark Pendergrast, captured this best, saying that “[Fanta] was made from the leftovers of the leftovers.”
By the time Hitler and the Third Reich marched into Austria, Coca-Cola had been in Germany for nearly a decade. Furthermore, in 1933, right when Hitler and the Nazi Party were assuming power, German-born Max Keith took over the company’s German subsidiary, Coca-Cola GmbH. Keith was utterly devoted to Coca-Cola. “[Keith] valued his allegiance to the drink and to the company more than his allegiance to his own country,” says Pendergrast. For that reason, he saw no quarrel with boosting sales by tying Coca-Cola to every aspect of German life and, increasingly, Nazi rule.
Back in America, the Coca-Cola Company—led by Robert Woodruff—did not discourage this. The company sponsored the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which Woodruff attended, and made banners featuring the Coca-Cola logo alongside the swastika. Keith used a 10th anniversary party for Coca-Cola GmbH to order a mass Sieg-Heil (Nazi salute) in honor of the dictator’s 50th birthday. He declared that this was “to commemorate our deepest admiration for our Fuhrer.” But, of course, Coca-Cola wasn’t alone in ignoring Hitler’s increasing aggression. Other American industries, such as Hollywood, overlooked Nazi Germany’s human rights atrocities and went out of their way to retain German business.
But, curiously, even Hitler’s invasion of Europe in 1939 did NOT faze Keith or Atlanta-based Coca-Cola either: The company continuously supplied its German subsidiary with syrup and supplies. In addition, Keith followed German troops into conquered countries—such as Italy, France, and Holland—to take over their respective Coca-Cola businesses. By 1940, Coca-Cola was the undisputed soft drink king of Nazi Germany. According to legend, there’s a photo in the Coke archives of military leader Hermann Göring chugging a bottle of Coca-Cola. Hitler was rumored to enjoy the caffeinated beverage while watching American movies like Gone with the Wind. Then, on December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
Well, then things took a turn. In particular, the US’s entrance into World War II meant that American companies had to immediately stop all business activities with the enemy. In addition, the German government was threatening to seize “enemy-owned” businesses. General Motors pulled out of Germany (though, Opel, a fully owned subsidiary of GM, still operated there). IBM’s operations were seized by the Third Reich, though controversy exists on how much they contributed to the German war effort. Coca-Cola HQ in Atlanta also cut off communications with Keith in Germany and halted the export of Coca-Cola’s 7X flavoring (the long-mythicized, top secret formula for Coca-Cola syrup).
Coca-Cola GmbH was on the verge of going flat. Keith couldn’t make Coke, and at any point, the Nazi government could seize his beloved company. But he had an idea: He needed an alternative beverage specifically for the German market. Working with his chemists, Keith patched together a recipe within the limitations imposed by wartime rationing. As we’ve established, it was basically made from the leftovers of other food industries: fruit shavings, apple fibers and pulp, beet sugar, and whey, the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained during cheese production. To name this concoction, Keith told his team to use their imagination. Joe Knipp, a salesman, pitched “Fanta,” shorthand for the German word for “fantasy.” It stuck.
Fanta essentially saved Coca-Cola GmbH, being the German company. Sales rose gradually during the war, particularly as other choices became harder and harder to find. It wasn’t simply drunk either. Fanta was popular as a sweetener for soups due to severe sugar rationing, since the drink’s renown earned it an exemption from the rationing after 1941 (though Keith had to use beet sugar). It was likely used for a variety of other cooking and baking needs as well.
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY’S DIABOLICAL OPERATIONS
Which then brings us to the final question, being: What diabolical tactics have been employed by the coca-cola company to ensure the consumption of its products? In essence, this question is about revealing the fact that it is no mystery why the coca cola company became among the most consumed brands in many parts of the world. This was a consequence of their employing tactics that included targeting children, undermining efforts by schools to provide healthy alternatives, donating to politicians in order to obtain favourable treatment and more.