O-Cola (Denmark)
When Coca-Cola followed American troops into Europe during and after World War II, it brought more than just a soft drink — it carried the taste of the American way of life. In the optimistic postwar years, everything American was in vogue, and Coca-Cola proved remarkably skilled at selling that lifestyle by the bottle. Small soda producers across Europe quickly took note, and in Denmark several tried to make their own versions of the fashionable drink. These local ventures often borrowed heavily from their U.S. inspiration, but few embraced the imitation as wholeheartedly as O-Cola.
Produced in Gentofte, just north of Copenhagen, O-Cola was launched in 1950 by Mineralvandsfabriken O-Cola and made an immediate splash with its unabashedly American-style marketing. The campaign featured daring pin-up girls, the slogan “Ha’ det lidt rart” (“Take it easy”), and a cast of Danish celebrities: boxer Jørgen Johansen, showman Stig Lommer (“He’s got O’Cola in his veins”), and film star Tove Mäes, who had tasted “the 20th-century wonder drink” in the United States and declared upon returning home that “O’Cola is the world’s best cola.” Even the bottle design echoed Coca-Cola, with horizontal ribs replacing the iconic vertical curves.
Mineralvandsfabriken O-Cola was officially registered in July 1951 by Aage E.V. Jensen but dissolved the following year. At the same time, brothers Niels and Rikard Møller Fuglsang — owners of the bottling company Mineralvandsfabriken Apollo in nearby Rødovre since 1934 — established their own o Cola brand. In 1956, Niels took over both companies and standardized the name as O-Cola.
Most early Danish cola producers operated locally, but O-Cola distinguished itself by being available across the country. Production likely ceased sometime in the late 1950s, leaving behind a brief but striking chapter in Denmark’s encounter with American cola culture.
In Kenneth’s collection
I have two 250 ml bottles from the 1950’s.
Sources: Tørstens allerbedste ven. Cola’ens Danmarkshistorie fra 1930’erne til 1960’erne (2013), Danish trade registers: 1951, nr. 7., s 169, 1952, nr. 12, s. 252, 256, 1956, nr. 9, s. 189-190.
