The Legend of VIVI KOLA
Back in the 1930s, the directors of the mineral spring in Eglisau sent employees
on a quest to Cameroon, the land of kola nuts, to find this mysterious fruit and bring it back to Switzerland.
We can’t say for sure how much of this is true. But what we do know is that in 1937,
this bitter, caffeine-rich nut popped up in Eglisau and in 1938 Vivi Kola was introduced to the Swiss public.
Here’s our story.
1938
Launch of the
Swiss Kola
In 1938, the mineral spring of Eglisau launched Vivi Kola as the first Swiss cola. The legendary label with the world map featured the origin of the kola nuts: Cameroon.
1939 - 1945
Sugar Shortage
WWII broke out shortly after Vivi Kola was launched. Sugar became scarce and the future looked bleak for the cola. However the dark beverage soon became popular amongst the soldiers, who drank it as an alternative to beer.
1949
Main Sponsor
Tour de Suisse
Following the sponsorship of the Tour de Suisse – a prominent cycling event – Vivi Kola became a household name throughout Swizerland and was henceforth referred to as “the cyclists’ beer”.
1960
New Bottle-Design
The rebranding of the Vivi Kola bottle was introduced with a large-scale national campaign. The mineral spring scooped up a design prize for its contoured bottle shape.
1967
Increased Competition
Vivi Kola faced increasingly fierce competition from the American colas. In Eglisau, there was a substantial focus towards advertising in the late 60s as the cult commercial with the iconic jingle “One, two, three, Vivi for me” was created.
1986
Production Stopped
In December 1986, the production of Vivi Kola at the mineral spring in Eglisau was halted, and the then-owner of the mineral spring, Feldschlösschen AG started to fill Pepsi.
2010
Vivi Kola is reborn!
In 2010, Christian Forrer from Eglisau revived the forgotten Swiss cola. At the relaunch event Vivi Kola found instant success with locals buying 2'500 bottles within the first 2 hours.
2017
Kola-Nut Adventure
Lukas went on an amazing adventure to Cameroon to rediscover Vivi Kola’s legendary past. He cycled 2'500km back to Eglisau, Switzerland with the mysterious kola nut.
Check out the full movie!
2020
Switzerland's very own Kola!
More than 2'000 restaurants and events offer Vivi Kola. Join in and support this premium, proudly Swiss product.