Fanta Bottle from 1943

[BrodieBartfast]

Hello folks.

Another recent purchase. These are surprisingly hard to find, and when they do pop up they're often listed at ludicrous prices.

Everyone has heard of Fanta, but not many people know its origin story. During the Second World War, the United States Government imposed an embargo on the ingredients necessary to manufacture Coca Cola in Germany. Max Keith, the head of Coca Cola GmbH, decided to produce a new product using what was available in quantity within Nazi Germany. Using the 'leftovers of leftovers', a new drink was created using a mixture of fruit pulp and beet sugar.
During a brainstorming session, the name for the product was inadvertently created when Kieth told his team to 'use their imagination'. The German word for 'imagination' - 'Fantasie' - inspired the name Fanta, and it was subsequently approved.

The drink proved immensely popular, though not for reasons one might expect. As sugar was heavily rationed in Germany throughout the war, bottles of Fanta were often used to add flavour and sweetness to soups and stews. Over three million cases of the drink were sold in 1943 alone.

After the war, when Coca Cola GmbH was reunited with its parent company, the formula and trademarks for Fanta fell into their possession. It was relaunched in 1955, and continues to be sold today.

And now, to the object at hand. I present an original Fanta bottle, with a date of 1943 on the base. As said before, these are not easy to find. When they do turn up, these bottles can fetch very high prices. This one is not in the best shape. There are some chips in the glass, and the production quality is less than stellar, which makes perfect sense given the year of manufacture. It was also not easy to photograph.



The origin of Fanta has always been one of my go-to 'did you know' facts. It's nice to finally have some physical proof to go with that story!

Regards, B.B.

[Gunny Hartmann]

It may seem a little mundane to some people, but i find items like this very interesting.

[BrodieBartfast]

It may seem a little mundane to some people, but i find items like this very interesting.

I did feel that typing out the history of a soft drink would be a little boring, even for us lot. If just one person finds the topic interesting, it was worth the effort!

B.B.

[Chopperman]

I learned something today.--Thank you.

[rbminis]

As Arte Johnson would say, "veeeeery interesting".
Thanks for posting!
Ralph.

[Aldo]

Wow, Fanta always had the 60's or 70's vibe, I had no idea it was a WWII era invention. Very cool.

Al

[AZPhil]

Did not know that. Thanks BB.
That's another Dad trivia I can use on my kid's

Semper Fi
Phil

[Aldo]

Did not know that. Thanks BB.
That's another Dad trivia I can use on my kid's

Semper Fi
Phil

Ha Ha, I do that all the time with the kids. they always say "How do you know this stuff?" LOL

[BrodieBartfast]

I've always had a knack for absorbing interesting but utterly useless information. I'm glad that this thread has taught some people something new. It wasn't too long ago that I joined up, and I never thought I'd be in the position to teach other members something they didn't know.

Thank you all for the kind words!

B.B.

[Chopperman]

I've always had a knack for absorbing interesting but utterly useless information.

That's funny.
My wife has told me in these exact words That I am "a wealth of useless information"