Iskub Cola

Few furniture stores in the world have their own cola, but IKEA does — its version is called Iskub Cola. Produced exclusively for the Swedish retail chain, the drink takes its name from the Swedish word for “ice cube.” The cola appeared around 2023 in 500 ml PET bottles, expanding on the soft drinks already served at IKEA’s restaurant drink fountains. The Iskub range also includes lemon, orange, and lingonberry — a flavor as Swedish as meatballs, and part of IKEA’s habit of sharing a bit of Swedish culture with every product it sells.

With only 2.4 grams of sugar per 100 ml — roughly a quarter of what’s in Coca-Cola — Iskub Cola is decidedly on the light side. The sweetness instead comes from cyclamate (E952) and acesulfame potassium (E950).

IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943 and has, perhaps by accident, become the world’s sixth-largest restaurant chain. Kamprad observed that “it’s hard to do business with someone on an empty stomach,” and today the company serves about two million köttbullar every day. For years IKEA offered Pepsi in its restaurants, but for a company known for cost–benefit thinking, it seems logic to take control of the drinks as well. Iskub Cola (article number 505.480.59) is a straightforward cola that goes nicely with a plate of Swedish meatballs.