You’ve probably seen the clickbait headlines. Maybe you’ve heard a friend at a bar mention that your favorite orange soda has a pretty dark past. The question did Nazis make Fanta isn't just a weird piece of trivia; it’s a complex look at how global corporations survive under total dictatorships. It’s not as simple as Hitler sitting in a lab with a beaker. Not even close.
The short answer? Fanta was created in Nazi Germany. But the "why" and the "how" are way more interesting than the "yes."
Coca-Cola was huge in Germany before the war. Like, massive. Max Keith (pronounced "Kite"), the man running Coca-Cola GmbH in Germany, was a powerhouse. He wasn't a Nazi party member, but he was a businessman who knew how to play the game. When the United States entered World War II after Pearl Harbor, the flow of the secret "7X" syrup—the soul of Coca-Cola—stopped dead. Keith was stuck. He had bottling plants, thousands of workers, and a massive market, but no product to sell.
He had to innovate or go bust.
The "Leftovers" Soda: How Fanta Was Actually Born
Fanta wasn't some master-planned Aryan refreshment. It was a "starvation" drink. Max Keith told his chemists they needed to make something using only the ingredients they could actually find in a war-torn country. We're talking about the dregs of the food industry.
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Think about it. Trade was cut off. Sugar was rationed. So, what did they use? Whey and apple pomace.
If that sounds gross, it’s because it kinda was. Whey is a byproduct of cheese making. Apple pomace is the fiber, skin, and seeds left over after you press apples for cider. It was basically a "leftover" soda. This original Fanta didn't even taste like orange. It was more of a ginger-ale-colored brew that tasted vaguely like fruit, depending on whatever surplus fruit happened to be available that week. Sometimes they even used saccharin for sweetness because real sugar was being funneled to the military.
Why the name Fanta?
The story goes that Keith told his team to use their "fantasie" (imagination) to come up with a name. Salesman Joe Knipp reportedly blurted out "Fanta!" and it stuck. It was punchy. It worked.
Did the Nazi Government Own Fanta?
This is where people get confused. The German branch of Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola GmbH, was still technically a subsidiary of the American parent company. However, because of the war, the American HQ in Atlanta had zero communication with Max Keith. They couldn't send him money, and he couldn't send them profits.
Keith was basically running a rogue operation.
Some people argue that by keeping the plants running, Keith was collaborating with the Nazi regime. He certainly used Nazi imagery in advertising. He made sure Coca-Cola (and later Fanta) was available at major rallies and sporting events. He wanted the brand to be seen as a "German" brand, not an American invader. This wasn't because he was a die-hard ideologue; it was because he wanted his business to survive the Third Reich. He was a corporate survivor.
- The Propaganda Factor: Fanta was marketed as a drink for the German people.
- The Resource Problem: As the war got worse, Fanta was used more for cooking (sweetening soups or stews) than for drinking because sugar was so scarce.
- The Labor Issue: While many German industries used forced labor during the war, Keith's record is a bit more nuanced. He kept the company alive, but the company’s relationship with the state was always a balancing act of avoiding nationalization.
What Happened After the War?
When the Allies finally pushed into Germany, they found Max Keith in a half-bombed-out plant, still making Fanta. He handed over the keys, the profits, and the brand to the American Coca-Cola company.
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Atlanta was impressed.
They didn't fire him. They actually promoted him. He eventually became the head of Coca-Cola Europe. But here’s the kicker: they stopped making Fanta almost immediately. Coca-Cola was back, and they didn't want this weird "wartime" drink associated with their brand anymore. It was mothballed for years.
The 1950s Rebirth
Fanta only came back because Pepsi started putting pressure on Coke in the 1950s. Coke needed more flavors to compete. They dusted off the Fanta name, moved the production to Italy, and that is when it became the orange soda we know today. They used citrus because Italy had, well, a lot of oranges.
So, while the name and the origin point back to 1940s Germany, the orange flavor you drink today is actually an Italian invention from the mid-50s.
Why This History Matters Today
It's easy to look back and want a simple "good vs. evil" story. But Fanta's history shows how business often operates in a gray area. Max Keith didn't set out to make a Nazi drink; he set out to save his company from going under. In doing so, he stayed "in favor" with one of the most evil regimes in history.
It’s a cautionary tale about corporate neutrality. When a company says they are "just doing business," it's worth asking what that business is supporting.
Modern Misconceptions
You might see some viral videos claiming Fanta was "invented by the Nazis" to keep morale high. That’s a bit of an exaggeration. It was invented by a German businessman working for an American company who was trying to navigate a total war economy. The Nazi government didn't order its creation, but they certainly allowed it to happen because it kept the economy moving.
Actionable Takeaways for History Buffs and Consumers
If you're interested in the intersection of business and history, there are a few ways to dig deeper into this specific era without falling for the sensationalism of TikTok "history" experts.
1. Look at the primary sources. If you really want to understand the corporate climate of the 1940s, read For God, Country, and Coca-Cola by Mark Pendergrast. It’s widely considered the definitive history of the company and covers the Max Keith era with a lot of nuance. It avoids the "Coke was Nazi" trap while still being honest about the company's proximity to power.
2. Separate the brand from the flavor.
Understand that "Fanta" as a trademark is a product of 1940 Germany, but Fanta as a "flavor profile" is a product of 1955 Italy. When people talk about did Nazis make Fanta, they are talking about a brand name, not the orange liquid in your fridge.
3. Fact-check the "75th Anniversary" controversy.
A few years ago, Coca-Cola released an ad in Germany celebrating Fanta's 75th anniversary, mentioning "the good old times." It was a massive PR disaster because, obviously, the "old times" of 1940 were horrific. The company apologized, but it’s a perfect example of how brands sometimes try to scrub their history to look "vintage" without acknowledging the reality of that era.
4. Study the "Survivalist" business model.
Analyze how other companies operated in Germany during that time. Hugo Boss, Volkswagen, and IG Farben all have much more direct and documented ties to the regime's atrocities compared to the German branch of Coca-Cola. Comparing these gives you a better perspective on what "collaboration" actually looked like.
The reality of Fanta is a story of whey, apple scraps, and a businessman who refused to let his bottling plants go quiet, even while the world around him was on fire. It's not a secret anymore, but it's a lot more complicated than the labels on the bottle suggest.