On Lemon Kola

Founded in Poland in 2012, the company first traded under the playful name John Lemon. Its organic, vegan sodas included black currant, lime, and a yerba mate line that blurred the border between tea and soft drink. In 2017 the enterprise hit international headlines when Yoko Ono and her legal team, acting to protect the legacy of John Lennon, threatened a lawsuit. To avoid a court battle, the brand abandoned John Lemon and reappeared as On Lemon.

Among the products, John Lemon Kola debuted in 2015 with real kola nut and an image as a natural cola with reduced caffeine. That approach was later abandoned. Today On Lemon Kola contains 25 mg of caffeine per 100 ml—by comparison, Coca-Cola has about 8 mg and Pepsi around 10 mg. The result is a Polish altercola that delivers more than twice the kick of the global market leaders.