Rola Cola
Rola Cola was created in England by Carlo Dini in 1979. It was originally produced by Silver Spring Soft Drinks, later by Dubuis & Rowsell, and sold in 22 countries, including the U.S.
After being discontinued in 1999, it made a comeback in October 2013, relaunched by CBL Drinks with updated packaging, a zero-sugar formula, and a strong retro identity. As of January 2015, it was still active on social media, but has since disappeared once more from the market.
The English comedian Peter Kay frequently referenced Rola Cola in his stand-up routines — often as a bad childhood memory. It was the kind of cola, he joked, that you could buy for almost nothing and nobody actually wanted to drink.
Rola Cola was sweetened with saccharin which can have a bitter or metallic aftertaste
Interestingly, some Britons who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, unaware of the actual brand, believed that “rola cola” was simply a generic term for all non-Coca-Cola/Pepsi colas — synonymous with low-cost and forgettable.
Not to be confused with
- The Indian hard candy Rol-a-Cola, introduced in the 1970s, discontinued in 2006, and relaunched in 2019.
- The soft drink Rola Cola by Rola Bottling Co. from Erie, Pennsylvania, USA, possibly established in the 1940s.
