Rivella is a soft drink from Switzerland, created by Robert Barth in 1952, which is produced from milk whey, and therefore includes ingredients such as lactose, lactic acid and minerals. Other than Switzerland, it is sold in several other countries and is available in several varieties depending on the country.

History

In 1950 Roberth Barth and the biologist Hans Süsli Zurich used a recipe initially conceived to produce a beer made with whey to create a soft drink, which came to be marketed as Rivella Red in 1952, when Rivella AG was founded. The initial production began in Stäfa before moving to Rothrist, where it remains to this day. It was the first diet soft drink to be launched in Europe. A third variety, Rivella Green, was launched in 1999 made with green tea extract,

Until 2008, Swiss supermarket chain Migros stocked an own-brand version of the beverage called Mivella, which was made by Rivella specifically for the supermarket. In 2008, Migros replaced it with Rivella as it did not enjoy the same popularity among customers as the original drink. In February 2022, in a further attempt to compete with Rivella, Migros revived the competitor drink "Prego", which dates back to 1956 when it was created by Robert Schlör.

In 1977 Rivella began sponsoring the Swiss National Ski team.

Ingredients

The ingredients of Rivella Red are as follows:

  • Water
  • Milk whey (35%)
  • Sugar
  • Carbonic acid
  • Acidity regulator (L(+)-Lactic Acid)
  • Acidifier (L(+)-Lactic Acid)
  • Caramelised sugar
  • Natural flavourings
  • Rivella Red contains 160 kJ of energy (approx. 37 kcal) per 100 ml as 9 g of sugar.
  • Rivella Blue contains 1.4 grams of lactose per 100 ml and artificial sweeteners (cyclamate, acesulfame K) instead of refined sugar. This reduces the energy content to 30 kJ (approx. 7 kcal) per 100 ml.
  • Rivella Green Tea also contains green tea extracts (0.05%). Its energy content is 90 kJ (approx. 22 kcal) per 100 ml.

Varieties

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! colspan="7"| Nutrition facts for Swiss varieties of Rivella <small>(per 100 ml)</small>

|-

! Flavor

! Years of production

! Energy

! Fat

! Carbohydrate

! Protein

! Salt

|-

! style=“text-align:left;"| Rivella Red

| since 1952

| 37 kcal

| 0 g

| 9 g

| 0 g

| 0.03 g

|-

! style="text-align:left;"| Rivella Blue

| since 1959

| 7 kcal

| 0 g

| 1.5 g

| 0 g

| 0.03 g

|-

! style="text-align:left;"| Rivella Green Tea

| since 1999

| 22 kcal

| 0 g

| 5 g

| 0 g

| 0.02 g

|-

! style="text-align:left; "| Rivella Refresh

| since 2018

| 21 kcal

| 0 g

| 5.2 g

| 0 g

| 0.02 g

|-

! style="text-align:left;"| Rivella Grapefruit

| since 2021

| 19 kcal

| 0 g

| 4.7 g

| 0 g

| 0.02 g

|-

! style="text-align:left; "| Rivella Swiss Mint

| since 2021

| 19 kcal

| 0 g

| 4.7 g

| 0 g

| 0.02 g

|-

! colspan="7"| Discontinued flavors

|-

! Flavor

! Years of production

! Energy

! Fat

! Carbohydrate

! Protein

! Salt

|-

! style="text-align:left; "| Rivella Yellow

| 2008–2011

| 13 kcal

| 0 g

| 3.1 g

| 0 g

| 0.02 g

|-

! style="text-align:left;"| Rivella Peach

| 2014–2016

| 35 kcal

| 0 g

| 8.4 g

| 0 g

| 0.03 g

|-

! style="text-align:left;"| Rivella Tropical Mango

| 2016–2018

| 35 kcal

| 0 g

| 8.4 g

| 0 g

| 0.03 g

|-

! style=" text-align:left; "| Rivella Rhubarb

| 2014–2019

| 35 kcal

| 0 g

| 8.4 g

| 0 g

| 0.03 g

|-

! style="text-align:left;"| Rivella Elderflower

| 2019–2021

| 35 kcal

| 0 g

| 8.4 g

| 0 g

| 0.03 g

|-

|colspan="7" style="font-size:smaller"| Source: Nutrition facts of Rivella products

|}

Availability

Rivella is seen as Switzerland's national beverage.

See also

  • Culinary Heritage of Switzerland
  • Calpis, a similar soft drink made with dry milk and lactic acid
  • Milkis, a similar soft drink made with milk

References

  • Rivella Official website