The World’s Oldest Soda Is From Colombia — And Kola Román Is More Than Just a Drink

Everybody loves an ice cold soda on a hot summer day. The fizzy drink has a long history but did you know that the oldest cola is from Colombia? Kola Román is the first soda created in 1865 in Cartagena, Colombia. For reference, Coca-Cola was invented two decades later in Atlanta, Georgia. Yet, just like Coca-Cola, Kola Román is still available today.

Kola Román has been quenching thirst for 160 years

Kola Román is the oldest soda in the world, and it is a point of pride for coastal Colombia. For almost two centuries, Colombians have been committed to making Kola Román the beverage of the country. Its neon pink color and vanilla flavor make it a unique experience for the taste buds.

There appears to be some debate on when the cola was first created, but the most widely accepted year is 1865. It was created by Manuel Román y Picón, a pharmaceutical chemist and a businessman. The story goes that Román y Picón survived a shipwreck while traveling and made his way to Cartagena. He fell in love with the city and decided to make Cartagena home.

The soda was not widely popular at first for a couple of reasons. First, flavored sodas like we think of today were not known beverages. Second, the formula for the syrup was under constant tweaks and changes until it developed into the flavor we know today. It was Román y Picón’s son who changed the syrup and helped give the soda its distinctive vanilla flavor and bright pink color.

Over the decades, the beverage continued to grow in popularity. By the 1930s, Kola Román had established itself as a culinary specialty in Colombia with a strong customer base along the coast.

Coca-Cola and the brand have been connected for decades

In the 1970s, Kola Román merged with Coca-Cola bottling manufacturing in Colombia. Coca-Cola FEMSA entered into a licensing agreement with Kola Román in 1982. Coca-Cola FEMSA manages all of the bottling locations in Colombia, with a majority in Barranquilla and Cartagena. Through the agreement, Coca-Cola FEMSA continued to bottle Kola Román with the understanding that the name could not change.

Since 1997, there has been no publicly available evidence that the license was extended. However, Kola Román is still being produced and bottled by Coca-Cola FEMSA. The recipe has not changed since the 1930s and remains the same bright pink, vanilla-flavored soda Colombians have come to love and cherish.

In 2013, Coca-Cola FEMSA relaunched the soda to bring it to a larger group of consumers. The decision was made, according to La República, to bring the beloved drinks in new packaging to those who love the brand.

La República reports that Kola Román started to appear in Costa Rica in mini cans to bring maximum enjoyment in a smaller package.

“The essence of the beverage’s ingredients hasn’t changed, but the image has. Kola Román is a traditional, original, 100% Colombian product,” reads a statement from Coca-Cola FEMSA, according to La República. “What the company is seeking with this new image change is for consumers to ‘Enjoy the Román way’ in their life’s moments. To take a break from the day to enjoy a refreshing experience amidst the daily grind.”