Afri-Cola was Germany's answer to Coke — then its new owner made a 'New Coke' of its own

Afri-Cola was launched in 1931 by F. Blumhoffer Nachfolger GmbH of Cologne, six years after Coca-Cola arrived in Germany. Its formula included 250 mg/L of caffeine — more than double Coca-Cola's — and a distinctive, sharp taste. After the Second World War, it became one of the country's most popular soft drinks, synonymous with the West German economic miracle. At its peak, it was Coca-Cola's main domestic rival.

From the 1960s onward, Afri-Cola steadily lost ground to Coca-Cola and Pepsi as the American brands outspent it on marketing and distribution. By the 1990s it was a secondary player, but it retained a loyal customer base in its home region and a recognisable national name.

In 1998, Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG, a beverage group based in Baden-Württemberg, acquired the rights to Afri-Cola and its sister brand Bluna. The new owner changed the recipe. The caffeine content was cut from 250 mg/L to below 150 mg/L — low enough that it no longer needed to be listed as an ingredient on the bottle. The taste was also altered. Customers reacted immediately and negatively. German media compared the debacle to Coca-Cola's introduction of New Coke in 1985.

The company attempted two further reformulations over the next six years: one that brought back the caffeine listing but changed the taste again, and another in 2005 that raised caffeine to around 200 mg/L. Neither satisfied the remaining customer base. On 1 April 2006 — eight years after the original change — the company finally restored the original 1931 recipe with its full 250 mg/L caffeine content. By then, most of the brand's remaining market share had been lost. Afri-Cola survives as a niche product, a fraction of what it once was.