Russian Cola

Wrapped in the colors of the Russian flag and bearing a logo that drew visual references to Soviet-era symbolism, Russian Cola was launched in 2004. The beverage was developed by the Russian producer Happyland, which described the cola as intended for everyone who loves Russia and believes in its future and in change. Whether this message resonated widely enough with consumers is difficult to assess, but Russian Cola was withdrawn again in the summer of 2007.

Happyland was founded in Moscow in 1998 to capitalize on the rapidly expanding market for alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages. The company grew quickly and by 2005 held 27% of the Russian RTD market. Russian Cola was Happyland’s first non-alcoholic product and included a small number of flavor variants. After discontinuing Russian Cola in mid-2007, the company returned to an exclusive focus on RTD products. Available sources indicate that Happyland ceased operations around 2011.

Russian Cola briefly reappeared in autumn 2014, when the product resurfaced in physical form and on social media using the same logo as the original version. This apparent revival attempt was short-lived and had ended by 2015. No producer has been identified, and the only remaining trace is an obscure Facebook page characterized more by memes than by sustained brand activity.