The story behind every sip

Gustav Hell, a pharmacist from Opava, can be considered the great-grandfather of Kofola because he founded the company G. Hell and Co. at the end of 19th century. In addition to pharmaceutical products and confectionery, the Hell family also produced Syrupus Colae compositus Hell containing liquid extract of cola seeds.

Following the complicated post-war period and several waves of nationalisation, the national enterprise Galena Opava was established, focusing on the production of pharmaceuticals, tinctures, and cultivation of plant crops.

The highest ranking political figures announced a development project to create a purely Czechoslovak drink that could compete with the cola drinks from the "West". This task was assigned to the United Pharmaceutical Works (Spofa Praha/Spofa Prague); Galena was later incorporated into the company, and this is where Kofola was born.

It took a team lead by Assist. Prof. RNDr. PhMr. Zdeněk Blažek, CSc. two years to find the right formula for KOFO syrup. Finally, they combined fourteen herbal and fruit ingredients supplemented with caffeine, into the unique formula which is still used today.

Kofola began its historical journey and as soon as it landed on the shop shelves, everyone fell in love with it. During the 1960s its consumption grew so much so that Czechoslovakia ran out of the herbs needed for its production and they had to be imported from abroad.

Kofola presented the new coffee bean shaped logo that was used for 3 decades after. Its first slogans, eye-catchers and mobile advertising could be seen everywhere and enticed the public to taste the unique drink. Kofola soon became a household name.

Kofola is everywhere now – at exhibitions, on the streets, in commercials, and even in songs. Its name is heard at industry conferences, and its foam rises at every tap. Consumption is growing so fast that the company can barely keep up – 180 million liters are bottled annually. Simply put, when you were kids going to the pub with your grandpa for a beer, you reached for a Kofola. Just so you could have some foam too.

During this period, you could find Kofola in every village pub, townhall or post office as well as in every co-operative shop. Returnable bottles clinked in string shopping bags, local pubs and company canteens. The refreshing Kofola drink became a part of our daily routine.

The Velvet Revolution brought about a decline in the sales of Kofola. With newly regained freedom and an open market, the public started to demand previously unobtainable foreign drinks. The half-forgotten Kofola changed owners several times before it was gradually prepared for its grand re-entrance onto the beverage centre- stage.

It was this native Greek entrepreneur named Kostas Samaras who gave Kofola new hope. He bought a small soda factory in Krnov, previously belonging to the state-owned company Nealko Olomouc, and started the production of carbonated beverages. All of this was a prelude to bringing Kofola back to life.

During this period, a subsidiary transport company, now known as SANTA TRANS, was established and other companies across Czechoslovakia became a part of our business portfolio. With the Jupí brand, we entered the category of syrup production; moreover, we bought the registered trademark Top Topic. By doing so, we returned the traditional grape juice drink to Czech and Slovak consumers. Last but not least, we started to produce children's drink known as Jupík.

To make matters even more interesting, we entered the Slovak market and started the construction of a production plant in Rajecká Lesná.

Eventually, we combined our production schedule with Kofola, after signing a license agreement to bottle the drink with current owner of the brand Kofola - the pharmaceutical company Ivax of Opava.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia were flooded with a wave of love for Kofola for the first time. The slogan “If you love it, nothing else matters ...” has won the hearts of not only those already in love. Today, this popular slogan still transmits its strong message ...love is all that matters!!!

We managed to buy the registered trademark for the original Kofola recipe for CZK 215 million. Since then, Kofola has been in the hands of the Samaras family.

Cult advertising appeared on TV for the first time that year and immediately ( the ad based on a heartwarming, Czech Christmas tradition, where a father and young daughter are depicted choosing their Christmas tree in the forest, when suddenly a wild boar appears…interrupting their revelry), won the hearts of the viewers. The public fell in love with this cute scene, as well as the piggy, and as a result, our TV ad is now one of the symbols of the Christmas season.

After 40 years of Kofola's existence, its first innovation – Kofola Citrus – came into being. Additionally, we added the natural spring water Rajec to our portfolio. We also revitalized Chito Tonic, a traditional drink that has always proven popular in times of bitter social changes.

Even though they tried their best, foreign cola drinks struggled to compete in our country. In short, Kofola has enjoyed more fame here than any other global brand. We introduced a number of 100% natural juices and fruit drinks of the Jupí brand to the market, as well as Rajec Bylinka, natural spring water with herbal extracts of lemon balm and thyme. We also bought the Vinea trademark and started producing Kofola Sugar-Free.

Kofola has achieved the highest sales in history, even in comparison with the roaring 1970s. The company could now continue to grow. We invested 250 million Czech crowns in Rajecká Lesná to expand the production facilities in Slovakia.

We duly celebrated our jubilee by trying to remember the roots of Kofola. We tried to recreate the moment of Kofola’s conception with our birthday advertisement, and proved to all that love played an essential role…but the fact that love is all that matters is no secret.

We have continued enrich our beverage portfolio with drinks such as Semtex and Erektus (both energy drinks). We invested 150 million Czech crowns into hot-fill technology for the production of preservative-free fruit drinks. And last but not least, we finished the year with a grand victory: Jannis Samaras, CEO of Kofola, won the Entrepreneur Of The Year award.

We broke down the borders and renamed the company as Kofola ČeskoSlovensko/CzechoSlovakia, a. s. We focused on the youngest and started to produce water for babies named Rajec. Older children, along with their parents, welcomed products that were newly sweetened with stevia - a natural  sugar substitute. After acquiring a majority in the UGO Freshbar network, we purchased the technology for high-pressure foodstuff processing, know as pascalisation.

At the beginning of the year, we launched the 100% fresh fruit and vegetable juices UGO processed by pascalisation. We have become the exclusive distributor of premium French mineral waters Evian and Badoit. The Jupík drink won the award for its packaging at the Red Dot Award and Pentawards.

With the acquisition of Mangaloo company, our UGO has become the largest operator of the Freshbar network. We have added the traditional, healing mineral water Vincentka to our distribution network, and Forbes magazine evaluated our Rajec water as the 8^th best brand in Slovakia this year. Marián Šefčovič, our Sales Director, won the Manager of the Year award.

The advertising campaign, based on a cute mutt with an unfortunate overbite and subsequent lisp, won the Golden Effie award in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Kofola was floated on the Prague Stock Exchange and employees were able to become shareholders of the group. Together, we welcomed the company Radenska, a Slovenian mineral water producer, and launched an exclusive distribution of Rauch products in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Kofola and Jupí drinks were awarded the Most Trusted Brands in their category on the Czech market, and Daniel Buryš, CFO of the Kofola Group, became the CFO of the Year.

We entered the Croatian market, where we took over PepsiCo distribution under the Radenska brand and bought three new traditional brands from the Badel company - Voćko, Nara, and Inka. At the end of the year, we purchased the Croatian Studenac company. Advertising for “Fofola” with the adorable dog named Stefan became the 2016 campaign and won the gold award in the Euro Effie Awards. For the first time, the Kofola company won third place in the Czech TOP 100 business ranking awards.

We have expanded the portfolio of healthy food products on the Polish market and welcomed Premium Rosa, the brand of premium natural syrups and juices. UGO's Freshbar and Salateria network bought a factory for the production of fresh salads from the Titbit company. In the autumn, we re-launched the Royal Crown Cola brand - authentic Southern Cola in its original design, sweetened only with cane sugar.

Jannis Samaras moves to a Group-level role, handing over the CzechoSlovak "helm" to Daniel Buryš. Our portfolio expands with two iconic brands: LEROS, the master of herbs, and Kláštorná Kalcia, the queen of mineral waters.

Under the heading of LEROS, we opened a plant for herb purchasing in Rajecká Lesná. We are in the process of acquiring the companies of Espresso, the manufacturer of premium coffee Café Reserva, and DILMAH, the distributor of Sri Lankan teas. We continue to develop Czechoslovak brands with strong backgrounds. We have also re-launched the Kláštorná Kalcia mineral water on the Slovak market. 

Kofola enters the segment of crafted ciders and lemonades through the purchase of the Czech manufacturer F. H. Prager. It also acquires a 100% stake in Karlovarská Korunní and Ondrášovka and thus expands its portfolio with the traditional Czech brands of mineral water.

Even though the crisis associated with the pandemic is at its peak, we are not afraid to come up with other innovations to add to our portfolio. And so, we began to write the story of our own premium lemonade brand Targa . It's made from Sicilian citrus and celebrates the eponymous legends of motor racing.

We have a new mission and vision for Kofola. Innovating in the area of sustainable packaging. Thankshanks to the Cirkulka project, we are introducing our traditional brands (Kofola, Vine and Rajec) in returnable bottles. And we have established a non-profit organisation, Kvapka Rajeckej Doliny, which focuses on water conservation measures in the Rajecka valley in Slovakia. 

We have bought apple orchards in the Úsovsko region and acquire a stake in a coffee plantation in Colombia. We also introduce Prager's Kombucha from F.H. Prager and two types of tonics from Targa. With the Láskyplný páteček campaign, we are launching a new era of Kofola brand communication and inspiring couples to spend more time together.

We are buying a majority stake in Pivovary CZ Group, which develops the traditional beer brands Holba, Zubr and Litovel.
At the same time, we are acquiring a 49% stake in MIXA VENDING s.r.o., a company specializing in the operation of beverage and food vending machines. 

In the heart of Ostrava, a new Kofola headquarters and interactive museum are taking shape. We are launching our own brand of juices and fruit drinks, Curiosa, as well as Dilmah Ice Tea made from genuine Ceylon tea.
We have also welcomed ASO Vending — the leader of the Slovak beverage vending market — into the Kofola Group.
In our commercial for the premium soft drink Targa, legendary Formula 1 driver Emerson Fittipaldi appears, showing that the true joy of driving comes when we slow down and savor the ride.