Pedacola

In Austria’s Mühlviertel region, a rather unorthodox cola took shape in the late 2000s. Pedacola was developed between 2008 and 2010, when local food enthusiast Peter Leitner experimented with regional ingredients and rediscovered Eberraute (southernwood, also nicknamed “cola herb”). Unlike mainstream colas, it contains no kola nut, no added coloring, and is completely colorless. The recipe was perfected over two years, introduced for test sales in Linz in 2013, and rolled out commercially in 2014.

The producer, also named Pedacola, defines itself by sourcing ingredients from local organic farmers. Besides southernwood, the formula relies on beet sugar, vanilla, mint, lemon, lime, and a handful of undisclosed botanicals. A visible sign of this natural approach are the tiny black specks in the liquid—remnants of real vanilla pods used for flavoring. The company highlights its dual format: a ready-to-drink version and a syrup concentrate designed to be mixed at a ratio of 1:8.

With 7.3 g sugar per 100 ml, the drink sits noticeably below the sweetness level of most global colas. Its slogan, “the Better Cola,” hints at an ambition to challenge established brands with a gentler, more herbal take on the category. That in turn raises the inevitable question: is it really a cola? Purists might argue that without kola nut, caramel color, and caffeine, the definition begins to wobble. Yet in a broader sense, Pedacola belongs to a long tradition of “altercolas” that bend the rules—proving that what makes something a cola is at least as much cultural agreement as it is chemistry.