Premium-cola
Encyclopedia
History
Premium-Cola is a soft drink brand founded on November 23, 2001, in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, by a collective
Collective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together on a specific project to achieve a common objective...
of fans of the German brand afri-cola
Afri-Cola
Afri-Cola is a cola soft drink produced in Germany. The trademark Afri-Cola was registered in 1931 by the company F. Blumhoffer Nachfolger GmbH. The same company also produced Bluna, an orange soft drink. Today the brand belongs to the Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG...
, at the time reduced in caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
.
The collective (which named itself "Interessengruppe Premium") started by running a protest campaign for more than two years against recipe changes in Afri-Cola
Afri-Cola
Afri-Cola is a cola soft drink produced in Germany. The trademark Afri-Cola was registered in 1931 by the company F. Blumhoffer Nachfolger GmbH. The same company also produced Bluna, an orange soft drink. Today the brand belongs to the Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG...
.
This well-known German brand (founded 1931) had just been bought by the Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach AG in 1999, which then secretly changed the recipe: the new afri-cola contained a reduced amount of caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
(the original afri-cola contained 250 mg/L), and the rather strong taste was significantly softened, in order to meet the taste of a wider variety of customers.
The protests of the "Interessengruppe Premium" lead to some public awareness, but remained unsuccessful as far as afri-cola was concerned - so they started producing the original recipe cola on their own and named it Premium-Cola.
To avoid legal issues with the Mineralbrunnen AG, one ingredient had to be changed later in 2004 (phosphoric acid
Phosphoric acid
Phosphoric acid, also known as orthophosphoric acid or phosphoric acid, is a mineral acid having the chemical formula H3PO4. Orthophosphoric acid molecules can combine with themselves to form a variety of compounds which are also referred to as phosphoric acids, but in a more general way...
instead of malic acid
Malic acid
Malic acid is an organic compound with the formula HO2CCH2CHOHCO2H. It is a dicarboxylic acid which is made by all living organisms, contributes to the pleasantly sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms , though only the L-isomer exists...
).
This didn't change the taste at all, but marked a change of attitude for the collective: The afri-cola brand itself was no longer of interest.
Structure
There is no office, no salaries, and no actual boss. Members of the company choose to which percent of their time they are going to work for the company. For some members Premium is sort of a hobby next to their actual work or studies, for others it is a full time job. All issues are decided on collectively, there is hardly any advertising - instead, art pictures are printed on the inside of the bottles' labels.The collective puts much thought into "proper" brand leading and acting ethically in the economy instead of expanding or selling for any price. Premium-Cola is being sold in selected outlets (not only Clubs and Bars) only, whose philosophy must be similar to that of the brand. Premium Cola started as a little collective a few years ago, but quickly grew to a medium-sized firm that strives to connect economics with ethics in a unique way that seems logical to its members.