Please Note: The products outlined on this page are or were found in New Zealand and all information on this page is taken from the book "The Story of New Zealand's Favourite Refresher - A Resource Book For Tertiary and School Students"
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Coca-Cola | Sprite | Fanta | Home | L & P | Powerade | Lift
'Coca-Cola' is the top selling drink in New Zealand and is also the top soft drink in the world, along with 'Diet Coke' and 'Caffeine-Free Coke' accounting for a massive 57% of the cola market worldwide.
The extension of the Coca-Cola name began in 1982 with the introduction of 'Diet Coke'. 'Diet Coke' also quickly became the number one selling low-calorie soft drink in the world. In 1983, 'Caffeine Free Coke' and 'Caffeine Free Diet Coke' were introduced.
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Sprite is the world's best selling lemonade. Sold
in 168 countries, it is also the world's fifth best-selling carbonated soft drink of any
kind. The idea for the name 'Sprite' came from early advertising. During the 1940s, an elf with silver hair and a big smile was used in original advertising for 'Coca-Cola'. This character, known affectionately as 'The Little Sprite' urged customers to buy more. In the late 1950s, the Company developed a citrus flavoured drink. The short, sharp and memorable sound of 'The Little Sprite' made it an ideal name for the new product. Since another company had been using the name since 1955, the Company had to purchase and register 'Sprite' as its property. In 1961, 'Sprite' made its debut. 'Sprite' was released in New Zealand as a lemonade in 1987/1988 |
'Fanta' is the world's fourth best selling soft drink in 170 countries, making it the only true global brand in the orange segment.
In 1960, the Coca-Cola Company marketed its first soft drinks other than 'Coca-Cola';
the 'Fanta' line of flavours.
The product, an orange flavoured soft drink previously distributed by European Coca-Cola
bottlers, was developed during World War II when no 'Coca-Cola' concentrate was available
there.
The trademark, based on the word 'Fantasy', was the result of a bottling plant employee
contest.
'Fanta' was first launched in NZ in 1962.
'Lift' and 'Dite Lift' are both trademarked products of the Coca-Cola Company, but essentially, there are an Australian phenomenon, designed for the Australian market. Numerous options were researched for the name of the brand, and 'Lift' best fitted the position of the new lemon soft drink.
'Lift' was launched in NZ in October 1990
'L & P' is the one true, New Zealand only soft drink.
In 1904, Government balneologist, Dr Arthur Wollman, declared the water bubbling from a spring near the Hauraki Plains settlement of Paeroa to be 'certainly pleasant to taste'. It was an opinion already shared by local residents who would regularly walk the mile and a half from Paeroa to the spring to replenish supplies.
Whoever was the first of those early settlers to add a dash of lemon to the water can claim responsibity for creating New Zealand's national soft drink.
Bottling began in Paeroa in 1907. While many other additive flavours were tried by the original bottler, Menzies and Co, lemon essence remained the most popular and demand for 'Lemon and Paeroa Natural Mineral Water' quickly spread well beyond the town.
By 1909, a bore had been sunk and a hand pump installed to fill wooden casks which were then shipped to the Auckland factory of Grey and Menzies Ltd. There the spring water was treated, flavoured, bottled and distributed to a growing network of outlets in the greater Auckland area.
While the actual Paeroa spring water is not now used to produce 'L & P', all the mineral components from the original mineral water are now incorporated into the modern day product.
'Powerade' was first placed in the New Zealand market in July 1994. It has quickly grown to be the number one sports drink in the New Zealand market. 'Powerade' revitalises the body after strenuous exercise.