The Colas of Åbro Brewery

In April 2026, Åbro Bryggeri launched a new cola as part of the revived Läskfabriken soft drink range. It was the latest in a long line of colas produced by the brewery in Vimmerby, Sweden.

Åbro Brewery was founded in 1856 and has also had a significant soft drink production for decades. One of its own colas in the 1990s was Black Cola. The brewery also bottled Cuba Cola, a Swedish brand dating back to 1953 that was produced by a number of different breweries and bottlers over the years. Around the turn of the millennium, Åbro also produced the American Jolt Cola.

In 1999, Åbro introduced Läskfabriken (literally “The Soft Drink Factory”), a brand covering a range of soft drinks. Among them was Kolakola, marketed directly to children with playful stick-figure drawings and little stories on the labels. By 2003, Kolakola was sold alongside raspberry and orange sodas, and the Läskfabriken range later grew to include a much larger selection of flavors.

Kolakola changed along the way. Around 2006–2007, Åbro reduced the amount of sugar in the Kolakola recipe. A separate Kolakola Light was also part of the range.

Later in 2007, Alla Tiders Cola appeared. It was apparently the same drink as Kolakola, but presented in more grown-up, nostalgic packaging. The two existed side by side for a period before Kolakola eventually disappeared along with the rest of the Läskfabriken line. Alla Tiders continued as a range of traditional soft drink flavors, including cola, raspberry, gooseberry and orange.

Åbro Brewery used the Alla Tiders brand for almost 20 years, until it was retired in April 2026 and the Läskfabriken name was brought back. The new range contains roughly the same selection of traditional flavors, but this time all of them are sugar-free. In the new Läskfabriken Cola, acesulfame K and sucralose are used as sweeteners instead.

Sadly, the 2026 revival only meant the return of the Läskfabriken brand, and not the cute name Kolakola.