Swiss Watching trivia, No 6: Rivella
August 6, 2010, 9 Comments
Switzerland makes a lot of cheese but what happens to the whey (the milky liquid) after the solid curds have been extracted? Rather than throw the whey away, the Swiss make it into a soft drink, called Rivella. A fizzy drink based on 35% milk serum may sound a little odd, and look like a hospital sample, but in Switzerland it’s as popular as Coke or Pepsi. Rivella first appeared in 1952 when Dr Robert Barth combined whey with
water, sugar and a secret mix of herbs. The original red label drink was joined in 1959 by a light version with a blue label, the first diet soft drink in Europe. Then came Green Rivella (flavoured with green tea) and the less-successful Yellow Rivella, using soya instead of dairy. For outsiders, Rivella is an acquired taste (I’m still trying), but the Swiss grow up with it – or as a Rivella spokesperson once said “they are almost as familiar with it as breast milk.”
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9 Comments on "Swiss Watching trivia, No 6: Rivella"
Rivella is the Swiss equivalent of Marmite: you either love or hate it 🙂
Exactly. As I wrote in my book, Ursula, Rivella is ‘the Marmite of the fizzy drink world’ (p221). We obviously think in the same terms!
Thanks for this reminder. I always have some Rivella when I am back visiting. There are a few Swiss foods that I really miss and this is one of them, just like Südwurst, Zigger, Olma Bratwurst and Brät.
How about Sugus? Starburst just aren’t as good
I was never much into Sugus. I preferred the Migro Mi-Ka-Mu caramels. Grandma always had them in glass bowl in her bedroom and the longer they were there the softer and chewier they became.
I’m addicted to rivella jaune and notice that it is not available widely in shops. Some coop/migros carry them and it is not widespread. Strange marketing ?
Hi Gavin. I think the problem is that you’re probably the only person in Switzerlan that likes yellow Rivella. It hasn’t been a success at all, so many shops now don’t bother wasting shelf space on it. Good luck finding it!
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