Fanta Kola Inglesa

Fanta Kola Inglesa is a Peruvian carbonated soft drink brand known for its bright red color and cherry-strawberry flavor. The beverage was created for the Peruvian market by Manuel A. Ventura and introduced in 1912, giving it a history that predates its eventual association with The Coca-Cola Company by many decades. Its Spanish name, commonly understood as “English Cola,” distinguishes it from standard cola drinks through its red appearance, sweet fruit profile, and strong connection with Peruvian soft-drink culture. The brand initially operated as an independent local product. In 1971, its recipe was sold to Enrique Heredia Alarcón, who was then Pepsi’s bottler in Peru. The change in ownership helped expand the drink’s commercial reach and coincided with a period in which Kola Inglesa became highly popular among Peruvian consumers. Its identity remained rooted in the domestic market, where brightly colored fruit-flavored carbonated beverages have historically occupied an important place alongside cola and citrus sodas. In 1997, The Coca-Cola Company acquired the brand together with Agua San Luis in a transaction reported at more than US$30 million. Following the acquisition, Kola Inglesa became part of Coca-Cola’s broader portfolio in Peru rather than being replaced by a globally standardized Coca-Cola product. The brand retained its distinctive flavor and visual identity while gaining access to the distribution and bottling infrastructure associated with Coca-Cola’s Peruvian operations. The name was changed to Fanta Kola Inglesa in 2013, placing the product more explicitly within the Fanta brand family. The change connected a historically Peruvian beverage with Fanta’s international fruit-soda architecture, while preserving the Kola Inglesa name that consumers recognized. Fanta Kola Inglesa is sold in multiple package sizes, including a 3-liter bottle and a 500-milliliter bottle. It is primarily associated with Peru, although it is also available in some Latin American markets in the United States. Its positioning combines local heritage, a distinctive red fruit flavor, and the distribution strength of Coca-Cola.

Fanta Kola Inglesa originated in Peru as Kola Inglesa, a red carbonated soft drink with a cherry-strawberry flavor. Manuel A. Ventura created the drink for the Peruvian market, and it was introduced in 1912. The early brand was independent and developed as a domestic Peruvian beverage rather than as a product of the modern Coca-Cola Fanta system. A significant ownership transition took place in 1971, when the recipe was sold to Enrique Heredia Alarcón. Heredia was the Pepsi bottler in Peru at the time. Under this ownership, Kola Inglesa achieved substantial popularity among Peruvian consumers. The brand’s growth illustrates the importance of local bottlers and regional recipes in the development of Latin American soft-drink markets, where products with distinctive colors and fruit flavors often developed identities separate from international cola brands. The next major turning point came in 1997, when The Coca-Cola Company acquired Kola Inglesa together with Agua San Luis. The transaction was reported to have exceeded US$30 million. Coca-Cola’s ownership brought the beverage into a multinational portfolio and provided a larger commercial platform, but the product continued to be presented as a distinct Peruvian offering rather than being homogenized into a conventional cola formula. In 2013, the brand name changed to Fanta Kola Inglesa. The renaming associated the established Peruvian drink with the Fanta family, whose portfolio is generally centered on fruit-flavored carbonated beverages. This change preserved the historical Kola Inglesa designation while giving the product a clearer relationship to Coca-Cola’s international brand architecture. The product is currently available in several package formats, including 3-liter and 500-milliliter bottles. Its principal market remains Peru, and it also reaches some Latin American markets in the United States. The available reference material does not establish a separate headquarters, a named current executive team, a detailed advertising history, or additional ownership changes after its integration into Coca-Cola’s portfolio.

1. 2013Name changed to Fanta Kola Inglesa

   The product adopts the Fanta Kola Inglesa name, linking its established Peruvian identity to the Fanta brand family.

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2. 1997Acquired by The Coca-Cola Company

   The Coca-Cola Company acquires Kola Inglesa and Agua San Luis in a transaction reported at more than US$30 million.

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3. 1971Recipe sold to Enrique Heredia Alarcón

   The recipe is sold to Enrique Heredia Alarcón, then Pepsi’s bottler in Peru. The brand becomes highly popular among Peruvian consumers during this period.

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4. 1912Kola Inglesa is introduced

   Manuel A. Ventura introduces the red, cherry-strawberry-flavored soft drink for the Peruvian market.

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A locally rooted Peruvian fruit-flavored soft drink positioned within the Fanta portfolio, differentiated by its red color, cherry-strawberry flavor, long domestic history, and broad Coca-Cola distribution.

• Fanta Kola InglesaCarbonated soft drink1912

  The core product is a red carbonated soft drink with a cherry-strawberry flavor. It is a long-established Peruvian beverage that became part of The Coca-Cola Company’s portfolio in 1997 and was renamed Fanta Kola Inglesa in 2013. The drink is sold in several package sizes, including 3-liter and 500-milliliter bottles, and is primarily associated with the Peruvian market.

• 2013Integration into the Fanta naming systemStrategy

  The historically Peruvian Kola Inglesa brand was already owned by The Coca-Cola Company.

  What changed. The product name was changed to Fanta Kola Inglesa.

  Aftermath. The beverage retained the Kola Inglesa name while becoming more visibly connected to Coca-Cola’s international Fanta portfolio.

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• 1997Acquisition by The Coca-Cola CompanyM&A

  Kola Inglesa was an established Peruvian soft drink when The Coca-Cola Company acquired it together with Agua San Luis.

  What changed. The Coca-Cola Company purchased the two brands in a transaction reported at more than US$30 million.

  Aftermath. Kola Inglesa became part of Coca-Cola’s brand portfolio while retaining its local product identity.

  Reported transaction value. More than US$30 million (1997)

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1. Fanta Kola Inglesa